12. FAKE LOVE

-Finley pov-

[Warning, Graphic Depictions of Violence]

I bite the corner of my lip as I stand at the door to his apartment. My heart starts to pound with fear and the ringing in my ears only gets louder as I raise my fist to knock.

I'm here because I have questions and I also wanted to tell him to fuck off to his face. But how could I find the strength when I can't even stand at his door without shaking in fear?

I finally bring my fist to the door but it opens almost immediately.

"Finley, you came!" Lei chokes out as he wraps his arms around me. The familiar warmth felt cool against my prickled skin.

"Yeah, I guess I did," I sigh, refusing to hug him back. Sensing this, he finally lets go of me and I can see the tears in the rims of his eyes.

"Cut the shit, it's not like you actually loved me. You were just using me to get to my family, I know what you are." I uncuff my sleeve to roll it up to my elbows as he gently closes the door.

"So that's how we're going to start?" He asks with a hint of pain in his voice.

"Wow, you really are a talented actor. Ever thought of turning it into a career considering you're not actually a welder either?" I ask while watching his shadow on the floor behind me. He was standing perfectly still.

"Yeah sure, I was thinking of joining you and that group of misfits in the theatre program," He says and I turn to face him.

"Let's just keep this about you and me," I interject but the small smirk grows and he crosses his arms.

"What? Are you scared that I'll bring up the rocking twink on stilts?" he huffs and I feel my hands bunch into a tight fist.

"Or that I've noticed you've been getting close to that tranny girl Esther who's trying to be a man. Are you scared of her not being able to give you what I naturally can?"

Before I even realize what I'm doing, I feel my hands grip his throat and tighten as I shove him against the wall.

"His name is Kaeden, and he's more of a man that you will ever be," I growl, finding myself overly protective. Lei starts to choke, grabbing hold of my hands but not forcing them off.

"Love," he gasps with his dark green eyes widened in disbelief.

"Love? You tried to kill my entire family! You don't know what lo-" I'm cut short when he lifts both legs and kicks me so hard I fall back into the kitchen of his tiny studio apartment.

Banging my head against the stove, I watch Lei come towards me again but this time there were three of him. I try to swing to the left but miss as he grabs my fist and pulls me up. I can barely stand with my head now hurting and the double vision but he smacks me back into the fridge and his lips attack mine.

"No!" I try to scream through his wet tongue forcing its way into my mouth. I try to chomp down but he only goes harder, working his way down my neck.

"You were always a biter," He says as he forces himself against me.

"Stop Lei! Stop!" I scream but he covers my mouth.

"Shut up Finley! Isn't this what you came here for?" he says and the tone of he voice sends a deep shiver of fear down my spine.

I was never scared of Lei before, but I was terrified now.

"Oh? Are you crying? I never knew you could actually feel emotions. That's okay I missed you too," He says as his disgusting lips touch my forehead.

"Finley Oliver Grayson, You've managed to become my greatest reward and my greatest demise. Don't you see what you've done to me?" He cries out and I try to scream but he pulls me forward and slams my head against the refrigerator, the world gains white splotches for a few moments as I feel myself go limp.

"I was raised in a fucking lab Finley. I was created to destroy the Grayson family because you think you guys are so fucking untouchable in your kingdom. I was going to be the one who brought change to our island! I was supposed to slaughter you as you slept because you are second in line to the throne, but you know what happened next you fucker? I fell in love with you! I fell in love with the man I was sent to assassinate! You're right. I wasn't created to know love or to feel what it is but I know I loved you the moment I met you. In return, I went against the Grayson rebellion and I protected your family! Your cousins' deaths were accidents! They were not my doing....it wasn't my fault." He cries out but I had no sympathy to give.

"You lied," I mutter under my breath and he slowly pulls his hand from my mouth.

"You lied, if you had told me, in the beginning, I would have protected you from the rebellion," I say while planning my escape.

"No, you would have killed me when you had the chance because that's the kind of man you are. I've seen what you can do," he smirks.

"You're right. Because that's what I'm about to do," I yank the handle off the fridge with enough force to smack it into the side of his head and he finally lets go of me.

His body landing against the stove with a loud crash. I drop the handle and it clatters on the floor as he uses the stove to stand. I draw my weapon with my beautiful little princess Mahina in mind.

This was for her because it was my fault.

I brought this man to my island.

I was the idiot who trusted him and let him meet my royal family.

I was the reason why she would never know her fathers.

The gun feels heavier than usual and Lei stops fidgeting to stare. I stand centimeters apart before he grabs the barrel of the gun and places it over his heart.

"Do it. I don't want to live in a world without you anyway," He sighs and holds one hand on the barrel of the gun while the other gently caress my cheek.

For a moment, I stared into his emerald green eyes, and forget the fact he is the man who trained his entire life just to assassinate my entire family.

The look in his eyes reminded me of our first encounter, the passion filled days that seemed never-ending, and the love. The way he caressed my face was like when I came home from Paris and he was pissed off because I had attempted to ghost him while I was there. But if he never loved me, why would he care so fucking much.

I wanted to believe it was all a lie so I could do this without mercy, but the singular pang of remorse held me back.

"Do you remember when we were on the island and it was just the two of us in the early morning, staring up at the stars laying on our backs on that small cliff," Lei stutters once he sees the cracks in my hard shell.

There were so many emotions conflicting back and forth but staring into his eyes, I could only see calm.

"When I made love to you under those stars and afterward you fell asleep in my arms?"

The blood from hitting the stove was dripping from his forehead and making its way to his eye but he doesn't flinch for a second. My finger on the trigger, in a second the life would leave those beautiful green eyes but it wouldn't bring me peace.

"I held you in my arms, and you were so peaceful, so trusting. I knew I could kill you right then and there but I couldn't. And that's when I decided I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't lead the rebellion against the love of my life and bring atrocity to his family." His thumb graces the edge of a tear and wipes it from my cheek.

"I love you, Finley. I love you," he finishes and I take my finger off the trigger before twisting the gun in my hands and pistol whipping him so hard, he falls to the floor, unconscious and probably concussed.

I finally let out the air I was holding in with a woosh until my phone goes off in my pocket.

"If it's papa again, I swear to fucking go-" but it wasn't. I pick up but by the sound of his ragged breath, I could tell something wasn't right.

"Kaeden? Are you okay?" I ask and he clears his throat.

"Fin...I-I did something...I did something bad," he says.

His voice sounds weak and my heart suddenly freezes over as I turn around and start running. The adrenalin I lost in the fight is suddenly regained. I didn't know why I was running but something in his voice told me to go.

"Kaeden? What did you do?" I pant as I run down the sidewalk. I was only fifteen minutes away from his apartment.

"I'm sorry Fin. I wish we had gotten more time together, I really do. But help the theatre guys out for me...they need...they need," His voice gets slower as he talks.

"Kaeden? Kaeden! Stay with me here okay,"

Ten minutes...ten minutes longer.

"I'm scared Fin. Don't tell the others, but I'm scared. I didn't think I'd be this scared," He says and I push myself to run faster, shoving Londoners and tourist aside.

"Just a few more minutes Kae? Hey? Kaeden?" There was a small clatter and I felt my heart drop out of my ass.

"KAEDEN!"