Shadows In Durango

Chapter 124

*****Sofia's POV*****

I couldn't breathe.

For the first time since the night I had left this very home, Vincent's home, my emotions were now taking a toll on me after what he did...

Perhaps with Ashton holding me hostage, I had been too distracted with fighting for my life that I hadn't had the time to fully address the deeper emotions that still lay hidden beneath the surface - meaning the whole situation with Vincent and my father.

Being here, now stuck with Vincent alone in his car, was fully resurfacing everything all at once for me and my thoughts flew recklessly to process it all...

The car walls felt as though they were closing in, the weight of Vincent's words only seeming to piss me off more in my heightened state.

Every ounce of trust I had in him was now shattered, slipping through my fingers like sand, and somehow, I still wanted him to somehow fix this - as though it could all just simply be erased.

But it wasn't that easy... I knew that.

He had gone behind my back on the worst possible thing he could have.

He had spoken to the one person I didn't ever want him to.

I wanted to scream at him, to cry, to demand more answers - ones that I already knew wouldn't even make a difference to how I felt right now.

Vincent had tried to justify his actions, tried to convince me that it was all for my own safety, but what he didn't understand what he couldn't understand - was how deeply his betrayal actually did cut me.

evil man he was so willingly dealing with, and it was

had I been lied to in my life? How many times had I been made

of anguish, and for a split second, I saw the boy I'd come to care about beneath the layers of control and strength he always wore. The same eighteen year

alone wasn't enough

carried every ounce of my pain. "How could you go to him thinking you could easily fix all of this, Vincent? After everything I've told you about him too, how could you even think for a second that he would be happy to cooperate when he so desperately only wants to punish me for running

his mouth to speak, but I cut him off again before he could. "You just don't get it, do you? You don't understand what it's like to constantly be running, to always be looking over your shoulder, waiting for the moment when the one person you fear the most finally catches up to you and makes you suffer... all you've done with this, has helped to bring him even closer to me!" I seethe, reminding myself of how

said in a scoff, my voice breaking. "You were the first guy I've ever fully let in about my past. The first person who made me feel like I wasn't alone in this terrible nightmare. That I felt safe

The words

realise that?! Especially from him! None of that has changed! I just went about it all completely wrong and for that,

anymore, does it?!" I shouted, finally letting the dam break. "You walked in to this blind, thinking that you could handle him, that you could outsmart him but you don't even know him, I DO!" I

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but this time they were being pulled from

car, none of us feeling any closer to having this tender

somewhere? To feel that we had reached an agreeable conclusion? But right now, I couldn't see one

instead of an old man, it's to you?! How damn narcissistic does that sound?! Sure, I liked you Vincent, but you're now out here making major life choices for me and I get zero say in my own future, surely you can see why I'm so upset over this?!" The words spill out from me, the horror of what he was planning still stabbing away at my heart. Vincent's face paled, and

said softly, his dark tattooed hand reaching out again, tentative and this time, I felt drained and allowed for him to make contact, lacing

just as shocked as you were to learn that our fathers were somehow connected in a business sense... and I know I should've told you, and I'm so deeply sorry for how much it's hurt you... but if you would be willing, I would love to explain everything to you from start to finish, we can go inside and fully talk this out, and after that you can decide if you still want to talk to me again or not, but please just hear me out first?" Ashton squeezes my hand, pleading with me for a chance

out these past few weeks, so

done...

my hand from his and finally sighed, feeling utterly exhausted. "Fine," I whispered, not because I was ready to

to know

again after." I remain firm,

got out of the car and came around to my side,