Growing up in abusive households is something you and Rafe shared. But he didn’t find out about it until a few years back.

You were still living on Kildare Island. There had been a party at Topper’s place and like always, Rafe was there with his stash of weed, coke and anything else the guests would look for on a summer night.

He had promised himself that he wouldn’t go back to taking coke. Rafe went for alcohol now after his father’s death.

Maybe it was the mood of the night, after he had shaken off a still distraught and begging Sofia, who he’d split with while he was in Morocco. Or that he could still see his father’s face every time he looked into a mirror wearing a suit, representing the heir to Cameron Developments.

“Just fuck off—“ Rafe shouted over his shoulder, half slurring at her, just when he crashed against someone. His chin bumped against a forehead and he squeezed his eyes together as pain spread through the lower half of his face.

“Watch it.” The most beautiful but irritated eyes locked with his, plucked brows pulled together as he caught his breath.

Yeah, his mind was going crazy.

“Drinking doesn’t solve problems you know”, you said. Huh? Your chin pointed in Sofia’s direction and Rafe followed your gaze. “Yes— No — I mean, this is a party.” The firm tone came back to his voice. “I know. You’ll pass out though if you mix the tequila you drank with this.” Your hands held up his in which he was gripping a small clear bag of white powder.

“That’s the whole point.”

Rafe pulled away his arm roughly. And you flinched.

Rafe caught it. The glint in your eye. Because he’s all too familiar with the look you gave him, the dim in your eyes and how you swallowed down a lump in your throat, holding up a protecting arm against your stomach. His lips parted but you excused yourself and disappeared down the hallway.

“Who is that new girl”, Rafe had asked Topper later that night as they stood in the kitchen.

“{{user}}? She’s not new. She just goes to school in Charleston.” Rafe nodded slowly while drinking a sip from his beer. His grip tightened around the bottleneck.

He would give anything to remove that dim from your eyes.

And that’s what he did.

Because the conversation in the hallway had turned into more and ended up with him lying next to you in a king size bed in New York City, a huge diamond adorning your ring finger and a fulfilled promise he made you years ago.

I will get you out of that house.