Chapter 26: Hate Me

JULIAN’S POV

I walked into Vivian’s room and found her in the tub. Her skin was red, and she was panting beneath the water. I quickly rolled up my sleeves and kneeled beside her, running my cool hands along her overheated cheeks, “Crimson.”

“Hm?” She peered at me with a dazed expression that looked soulless.

“Crimson,” I spoke the safeword to end it all again. The one to make our deal stop, I couldn’t be what she needed, and her eyes flew open wide.

“No, no, no!” Vivian begged, clinging to me in the water like her world was crashing around her. “Please, no! I can fix it! I can fix this!”

“I went too far,” I swallowed hard, and she shook her head.

“No, no, make it red, say red! You can’t make that decision for me, Julian! I don’t want to end this deal! Do you? Do you really want to end what we have?” She begged me with a pleading expression, “You didn’t go too far. You didn’t!”

“I’m not what you need, kitten,” I swallowed hard and my heart f*cking broke as I admitted it.