“I told you that you were free to leave,” sheheard from behind her.

“I wanted to hear you say it, not read it ona note,” she peeked over her shoulder.

His brows drew together and his voice washoarse with frustration, “Then listen closely: you’re free toleave.”

She shifted uncomfortably on the lounger,disappointed, but undeterred. She sat motionless until he finallyseated himself at the table, leaned back and stretched his legs outin front of him.

His dark eyebrows slanted in a frown. “Whatare you waiting for?”

She could see that he was trying to distancehimself by acting unaffected. When she noticed the newly developeddark circles under his eyes and realized he had already grieved herloss, a sudden sense of urgency drove her.

“I once told you that it takes a special kindof man to guide and lead a woman. Do you remember that?”

He nodded but remained stoic.

She rose from the chaise and moved directlyin front of him. “You have it within you to do that, Victor. Can’tyou see that?” she stared at him longingly, trying to convey herneed for him. “You’re not your mother or your father. What happenedwith Chapter One was sad and beautiful, but you are your own man;strong and admirable and fucked up like the rest of us.”

His gaze traveled over her face and searchedher eyes. “You’re not fucked-up, Elsa.”

“I am. We all are, in our own ways. I loveall the fucked-up sides of you. Even Mr. Black…”

He abruptly pushed his chair back with adisgusted look on his face. “Don’t you dare tell me that you loveme.”

“Please, let me love you. Let me help you,Victor.”

She reached for him but he batted her handaway. “That’s Mr. Black, remember? I’m MR. BLACK.”

“No, you’re not just that blackened soul of aperson you think you are. You’re both and I can accept both.”

He jumped up and glared down at her. “Shutthe hell up! What do you know about me? You only know what I’veallowed you to know. You think those journals and case studies toldyou everything there is to know about me? They don’t! You think youlove me because I’ve manipulated you into believing that you do.That’s what I do, Elsa. I bend and manipulate people’s will, mindand bodies into what I want them to be. I do it at work and I do itfor fun. You’re my plaything, Elsa, nothing more!”

She could feel the tears building and herback throbbed with each subtle movement, but she held her composureand kept her eyes riveted on him. “Another lie in your game, onlythis time, you’re lying to yourself. I know who you are. You canpush me away, Victor, but I’ll never stop loving you.”

“I don’t want to be the man you want. Notlike that. And I’ll never be the man you need me to be.” Thesteely, cold edge to his voice softened and he sank back into thechair.

“Only you believe that. People canchange. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it.”

His voice dropped an octave and his browsdrew together. “No one ever changes.”

Refusing to make eye contact, he looked pasther and out the window. At that moment she saw all his emotion poolat his feet as he began to let her go, bit-by-bit.

As she stood waiting for what seemed like aneternity for him to acknowledge her, he only stared blankly outthat damned window. She let out a pitiful sob when the realizationand truth of his words slowly took a hold of her. There was nogetting through to him. She had allowed him to beat, use and abuseher, and still… there was no breaking down his walls. He had oncesaid that this wasn’t going to end well and he really meant it.

How could this be? How could she have been sowrong about him? She had been wrong about Patrick and so manyothers, and now Victor. She was a damned fool. No, she was anignorant fucking bitch. At that moment, she hated herself forhaving allowed Mr. Black to do the things he did to her.

Her body ached, her legs began to weaken, anda pain like no other she had ever felt, clutched her heart. He wasreally finished with her. All of a sudden she felt empathy for allthe other Chapters who came before her, knowing this is how theymust have felt when he callously dismissed them, too.

Unhurriedly, she walked away and reachedbehind the chaise, picking up the box of her things he had demandedshe remove from the house. On top were the keys to both his houseand the brownstone. She placed them inside the music box that hadbeen on the nightstand and set it on the table in front of him.

“This used to bring me peace when I was achild. I hope you find peace, too, someday, Victor. You deserveit…” she touched the warm flesh of his arm. “I’m sorry I hityou.”

His eyes turned glassy but he still lookedpast her, ignoring her statement.

Clutching her box of mementos, she turned towalk out the door. When she reached the entryway, Victor’s wordscame out strained. “I decide when this is over, Elsa. My house, myrules, remember? This isn’t over until I say otherwise.”

Confused, she shook her head. He had justtold her to leave. “You said we were finished. You just told me Iwas free to leave.”

A look of tired sadness passed over hisfeatures. “I changed my mind. I’m allowed to do that. My house. Myrules,” he repeated for the umpteenth time.

Since he couldn’t make up his mind, she wouldmake it up for him because she was never going to allow him totreat her the way he had, not ever again. Trying to swallow thelump that lingered in her throat, she forced herself to speak.

“You keep telling yourself that, but I can’tdo this anymore. I can’t perpetually play your game with no end orpromise in sight. My heart isn’t in it anymore, and is that whatyou really want? An unwilling player?”

“I want you…” he croaked out, the torn lookon his face the most heartrending thing she had ever seen.

Her hand touched the knob and she leanedagainst the door for a moment as she tried to gather strength.“We’ll always have each other, just not the way we want.”

“Stay and play my game a little longer,Peach. Just a little longer…” His voice sounded distant.

What was the point in prolonging theinevitable? He didn’t want her love and she knew he would neverlove her in return. Not the way she deserved to be loved. Her bodyswayed, rife with indecision. Part of her wanted to stay and see itthrough…

Another flash of heat and pain suddenly shookher and she winced as tears welled up within her eyes. It was as ifher own body was reminding her of Mr. Black’s cruelty. She wasn’tgoing to ignore her inner voice this time.

Even though she didn’t know the reasons whyshe loved him, she did… but she loved her sanity more. She shookher head, not only to clear her thoughts, but to signal to Victorthat there was no turning back. Gripping the door knob, she turnedit.

“What do you want to hear from me to get youto play again? Tell me and I’ll say it…” he demanded as he poundeda fist on the table.

The door swung open and she gave him one lastpoignant glance over her shoulder. He was so beautiful… so sadand so beautiful… but so tortured. “There’s nothing more youcan say. I’m done playing your game. I need to love and to beloved…”

He stood but his body froze. “If this isbecause I used the belt on you, I won’t do that again. I promise… Iknow it was wrong…”

“It’s not because of that,” she choked out,knowing that he would never address her statement. “It’s because Iknow what we are and what we’re not.”

“I can’t change who I am…”

She heard his whispered voice over hershoulder as she stepped into warm, bright day. He could love. Hecould change. She knew he could do both, he just wasn’t willing to.Someday someone would come into his life that would make him wantthose things, but it wasn’t her. A gust of wind blew past her,drying the tears that bordered on her lashes and drowning out thesound of his agonized voice.

Victor… she whispered his name onelast time before closing the door behind her.