Contract Marriage with My CEO Boss (Kylan and Katrina)
Chapter 76

I

Chapter 76

Kylan was lucid enough after the shower to dry himself off while Katrina picked out a fresh pair of sweats and sweaters for him from his closet. He was also able to dress without her help and then she guided him to the roller seat once more.. She remembered where he kept his first aid kit from when she cleaned his knuckles and she fished it out, opening it atop the vanity. She found some antibiotic cream, along with gauze and Coban.

The worst of the redness was on the palm of his hands, and she slathered far too much cream over the expanse of the raw skin. She couldn't keep the frown off her face while she worked *Tim fine. Katrina, Kylan sighed in front of her.

"You are not fine. Kylan. None of this is fine. She placed a piece of gauze in the center of both of his hands and wrapped a bit of coban around them. She finally finished and then rested her hands on his knees, emotion overcoming her in ways that she was struggling to keep under control

"Kylan. Her voice cracked. "What's wrong? Why won't you talk to me?" She couldn't look at him. Not right now

"It's not your burden, Kylan whispered, staring down at her.

"Bullshit. That's ballshit, and you know it is. You know how much L.. She can see how much I care about you. You don't need to do this alone. I'm here. Kylan. I'm here. Ryan is here. We want to help you. You need to. Talk to someone. A professional. Don't boule this up. Don't run from it All it's doing is hurting you and pushing people away. Pushing me away." Tears blinked from her eyes, but she did nothing to wipe them away this.

time.

"Don't... Please, don't cry. Not again. I'm not.. Katrina, I'm not worth that. I told you, I'm a monster," Kylan insisted, reaching forward and lifting her chin with a careful finger.

"You're not a monster. You're a wonderful person, Kylan. I've seen your compassion. Your care. I've seen the softness you hide from the world. I've seen you smile. It's a beautiful thing, your smile. I know you care about people. I know you do. I don't know why you hide it. It wasn't your fault that Yasmin died. I don't know what happened, but I can-"

Kylan shook his head, cutting her off at once.

"Don't. Please, don't talk about her. Not her Kylan sounded broken all over again and her eyes widened when she realized he was on the verge of tears himself

"Oh, Kylan. My darling Kylan. What happened to you?" She wrapped her arms around him, pulling his face into the crook of her neck and gripping him tightly. "What happened to make you think you're not worthy of this? Of me? Why do you push me away?" She clutched him to her, and she felt as he gripped the back of her sweater tightly, despite how it must hurt his hands

"She died. She died. He died. They both died. They're both gone," Kylan cried into her skin, and she gasped when she felt the first warm press of his

And then he sank off the toilet seat and into her, completely engulfing her in his arms, holding onto her like his very life depended on it. She stumbled slightly, leaning her back against the vanity cupboards, her arms around Kylan and her hand stroking his hair gently. "It's okay, Kylan. It's okay. I'm right here," she whispered over and over again right into his ear.

She glanced up when she heard

rd Ryan step into the room, and she shook her head at him. He nodded at her, understanding this was a moment he wasn't privy to. With a solemn look on his face, he stepped away.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, holding Kylan, letting him cry, allowing him to mumble whatever he needed to

But she did. She held him. She soothed him. She rocked him.

She allowed him to let our years of pent-up emotion, and the only thing she could think about was that she was grateful he trusted her enough to finally let her in

-0-0-0-

Eventually, Katrina helped Kylan over to his bed, guiding a cup of water and two pain reliever pills to his lips that Ryan must have left for him on his nightstand

She pulled his duvet back and he slumped over, closing his eyes as soon as his head hut his pillow. She covered him with his blankets, his breathing already slow and deep

She was relieved that it seemed his body finally won over his mind, and he was getting the rest he so clearly needed.

ross his forehead. His cheeks were

She hesitated for a second, the moonlight filtering through the nearby curtains, Kylan's bangs splayed across flushed from both the alcohol and his crying. He had never looked more vulnerable or more human

She leaned over him, brushing his hair away from his face before kissing his forehead gently.

302 PM

Chapter 70

one last look at him, she made her way to the kitchen. Ryan was there, washing some dishes in the sink. The kitchen was sporless, and she sure the front room likely was too.

Thank you for cleaning up, Ryan." She sat at the counter; her body exhausted from the high levels of cortisol that had been coursing through her veins the last few hours.

"Is he asleep?" Ryan shut off the kitchen sink and turned around, moving a cup of tea her way.

She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you" She picked up the cup with both hands, breathing in the sweet smell of cinnamon and spice. "He's asleep for now. I had him take the medicine and drink the water you left for him. She sipped at the tea and sighed, feeling much better already

Ryan nodded, leaning against the counter next to the sink and folding his arms over his chest. "Are you doing alright. Katrina?" He sounded so kind So unassuming with the way he asked.

She set her tea down and thought about her answer, watching the dark liquid in her cup swirl and steam. "This was a side of Kylan I'd never seen before. I had never seen him express emotion like this, or cry like he did. It broke my heart, but it was also human if that makes sense. I worry for him. I feel sorry for whatever he's going through. I can't fix him, but I want to be there for him if he'll let me like he did today." She paused for a moment, considering how honest she felt about being with someone like Ryan. "I love him. I don't know when it happened, exactly, and I know it isn't ideal But, I do. I can't deny myself that truth anymore more than Kylan can talk about his demons before he's ready." It felt good, necessary even, to say it all our loud like this.

To her surprise, Ryan was smiling at her. "You and Kylan have always had a connection. It's been obvious from the day you began at Ross Corp However, Kylan is a complicated man. I know that perhaps better than most. I met him at a low point in his life when he had little to no direction at all. He had to go through exponential growth then and dare I say, he will have to go through more now than even then. But, I did see him go through growth and succeed in doing so. He picked himself up off the ground, he allowed me to guide him, and now look at his life."

A to the

Ryan gestured to

penthouse around her.

"These are but material things, though. They don't matter at the end of it all, do they! Kylan has never cared for them. He's bought into the lifestyle for showmanship purposes, but the only thing a man like him truly wants is love and acceptance. Safety and freedom, the ability to be himself." He smiled at her again, this time with more warmth than before.

"You are not responsible for saving him, or anyone else. But for the first time in all my years of knowing Kylan Ross, I'm watching him fall in love before my very eyes. And what a privilege it is that a woman such as yourself is also able to see beyond the iron curtain he insists on keeping in place. He stepped away from the counter and put a hand atop her shoulder much like before.

"You must do what's best for you, Katrina. However, I pray that Kylan will seek the help he needs so that he can allow himself to be happy. To be fulfilled. He deserves it. You as well." He let go of her shoulder and smiled at her once more. "Am I to assume you're going to stay here for tonight?" he asked her kindly.

She was stunned into silence, staring up at a man wise beyond what she knew before today. He perfectly understood the situation. All of it. Though she had a difficult time believing Kylan really loved her. But perhaps.. Perhaps he did, and he was running from it because he really didn't think he deserved it!

She needed to talk to Kylan. She only hoped he would be able to this time. That he would open up to her the way she needed him to if there was any chance of her being able to stay in his life the way she so desperately wanted to.