Page 66 of Indecent Villain
“Jude loved Anna,” he continues, “but he couldn’t be the husband you’d expect. He had, um, sexual issues, which is why he agreed to marry her. Although we lived apart, Anna and I were together up until her…death.”
I can’t help but notice how he struggled over the word “death.” It’s clear he truly loved my mother.
I cling to him as we both cry. I’m not sure how long we remain like this, but eventually, we settle into silence. Then I ask, “How did you come to have the necklace?”
“Jude had a meeting at a hotel, and Anna went with him to be with me. They left ten minutes before I did. We traveled the same route. I came upon the accident.” He stops, his voice raw with emotion. “I found her… Sh-She was barely hanging on. She told me she loved me and to look after our daughter. She died in my arms.” He swallows hard. “I took the necklace, wanting to keep it. But then I thought of you, our daughter. You deserved to have it. There is an engraving on the reverse side.”
I shove my fingers into my dress and pull out the chain. I turn the heart over and read the inscription.
I will always love you.
CE x
I place the chain over my neck and crawl into Cannon’s lap. I cry in his arms.
“I love you, Kinsley. I have since the second I knew your mother was carrying you.”
“You’re my daddy.” A sob breaks free.
The silence is shattered by the sound of hands clapping. “How touching,” Rossi sneers.
I jump up and grab the steel bars. “Tiberius will tear you apart when he finds us.”
Cannon moves close and pulls me away from the bars, shifting me behind me.
“Us?” Rossi asks. “There is only one of you to find.” He pulls out a gun and fires.
I scream as Cannon crumples to the floor. “No! You bastard!”
I fling myself down beside Cannon—my father—begging him to wake up. I gather his head into my lap and let out a piercing scream—then another, and another. I curl my body over him and sob. Tears flow freely as I whisper words of regret to his lifeless body. The pain in my chest is unbearable—a physical ache that matches the emptiness in my heart. Nothing will ever be the same. I only had a brief chance to get to know him, and now that bastard has taken that from me. Taken him.
When I lift my face, I find Aldo is still in the room.
“Go to hell! I will kill you, and I will kill your daughter,” I promise, meaning every word of it.
“Don’t you want to know why I took you?”
"Fuck you!"
"I can see you are not ready to listen to me," he says and exits the room, leaving me alone with Cannon’s body.
I whisper, "Daddy, I'm so sorry.”
Sometime later,two men enter the room. They watch me carefully as they unlock the cell.
“What are you doing?” I glare at them.
“Getting rid of him,” one replies, indicating Cannon.
I snarl and cover as much of Cannon as I can reach. “You’re not taking him anywhere.”
“Like hell they’ll listen to you.” The huge giant from last night enters the cell and lifts me up.
I kick and scream, trying to get free as the two men remove Cannon—my daddy.
“No!” I shout at the top of my lungs.
I bite down hard on the giant’s hand. He drops me to the floor and grabs a handful of my hair.