Chapter 57 I’ll Be Good
Chloe was so stunned that she just kept staring at Brian’s back. She had forgotten to turn away.
His cold voice snapped her out of it. “How much longer do you plan to look?”
“Oh, sorry!” She jolted and quickly turned away.
Brian took his time getting dressed before walking over to Chloe.
“I forgot to mention that this door connects our rooms. You can lock your side if you want. Mine stays unlocked. If anything happens, you can come to my room…” He paused, then lowered his eyes to hers. “To
protect me.”
Chloe awkwardly cleared her throat. “R–Right. Well… I’ll be in my room. I don’t want to interrupt you while
you’re changing.”
She started back toward her room, but Brian pressed his hand flat against the connecting door, blocking
her.
He stared at her. “You saw, didn’t you?”
“Saw what?” Chloe asked, forcing herself to meet his gaze.
“My back.”
For some reason, Chloe felt her cheeks burn under his gaze. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen shirtless men
in the military before. Maybe she was just taken aback.
She hadn’t expected Brian’s back would be covered in scars. They weren’t the kind of scars that came from training or combat. They looked like the aftermath of abuse.
“Abuse?” she thought.
From what she had glimpsed, the scars looked old. That would mean they were probably from his
childhood.
Her stomach turned. Who would do that to a kid?
“Who did this to you?” she snapped unknowingly.
“So you did see.” He ignored her question and asked, “Are you angry? Do the scars piss you off?”
His calmness cut through her anger.
What was she so upset about? If Brian had truly suffered abuse, the abuser would have been punished long ago.
After all, he was Brian Steele, the current head of the Steele family. He wasn’t a helpless child anymore.
“Maybe a little. But that’s your business, not mine. I shouldn’t have pried,” Chloe admitted.
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Brian’s lashes flickered, then he took a step back. “Fine. You should head to bed.”
Chloe returned to her room and shut the door.
Brian, on the other hand, stood with his back toward the full–length mirror in his room. He turned his head to stare at the jagged map of scars across his back.
They were whip marks.
His dad, Liam, tried every means to get his mom, Emily, pregnant. He thought having a child would chain her to him. But it was utterly useless. Despite being bound to him by blood, she still left.
Liam vented all his pent–up resentment on Brian. Every time Emily rejected Liam, he would leave fresh whip marks on Brian’s body.
The scars could have been removed with laser treatment long ago, but he had kept them as a reminder
never to let anyone break him ever again.
Later that night, Chloe lay awake staring at the ceiling.
Tomorrow, she would visit the memorial hall that her grandfather had once risked his life to protect.
The memorial hall was the Qualls‘ spiritual home. Her grandparents‘ memorial plaques were kept there.
She remembered visiting it with her parents and Daniel when they traveled back to Yarfdale.
But now, she would be walking in alone.
She hoped that once she found Daniel, they could return to the memorial hall together to honor their
grandparents and parents.
Just then, she heard a muffled cry from the next room.
Had something happened to Brian?
Chloe instantly sat up and rushed through the connecting door.
She entered Brian’s room. It was pitch black, and the cries grew louder.
She inched closer to the bed. Even without the lights, her vision was sharp enough that she could see him lying there. His eyes were shut tight, and he seemed to be having a nightmare.
Broken words spilled from his lips.
Chloe approached him and called his name, “Brian!”
“Hurt… it hurts… Don’t hit me… I’ll be good…” he muttered, but he showed no sign of waking up.
Chloe froze. She had never imagined Brian would ever say something like that. She wondered what kind of nightmare he was having.
Chapter 57 Ill Be Good
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The scars on his back immediately flashed in her mind.
She switched on the bedside lamp. Sweat drenched Brian’s forehead, and his face twisted in agony.
“Brian!” she called again, trying to wake him up. She reached toward him to check if he was alright, but the moment her fingers brushed his face, Brian grabbed her wrist.
He was so fast that she was caught off guard.
Chloe tried to break free, but his whispered pleas stopped her. “Don’t… leave me…”
She was speechless. She stopped trying to pull back and let him hold her hand.
Gradually, his expression softened, and the pain eased from his features.
With one hand held in his, she used the other to grab a tissue from the nightstand. She gently dabbed away the sweat from his forehead.
She had always thought that men like Brian were like still water. He was cold and untouchable.
But now, he seemed fragile. He was like a child in need of protection.
After a while, his brow smoothed completely, and he fell into a deep sleep. It didn’t seem like he was
going to wake up.
Chloe glanced at her trapped wrist and tried to slip it free. She tugged twice but had no luck
She wasn’t going anywhere unless she pried his fingers open one by one. But that would wake him up for
sure.
She pursed her lips before sighing in defeat.
If he wanted to hold onto her hand while he slept, then she would let him. She could still fall asleep while
sitting in the chair if she wanted to.
Back when she was on field missions, she could catch a nap anytime, anywhere, no matter how harsh the conditions were. She needed to rest as much as possible to recover her strength.
Chloe settled on the carpet beside the bed and leaned against the nightstand. With her hand still in Brian’s, she turned off the lamp and shut her eyes.
The creak of the door snapped her awake the next morning. Standing in the doorway was Brian’s secretary, William.
He stared at her in shock before stammering, “M–Ms. Quall… you didn’t actually spend the night with Brian, did you?”
