Meant to Be Yours: New Adult BBW College Romance (Derek and Jaike Book 2) by Marian Tee Page B

he was missing something. It was clear she was no longer herself and even though his blood still churned with rage at her betrayal, he couldn’t bear seeing her like this. He couldn’t bear other people seeing her like this.
    Derek looked straight at the two-way windows, knowing his friend would be there, keeping an eye on things. “Reid, get everyone out of here.”
    Jaike jerked at the name, and then she began to laugh harder. Of course his friends were watching, too. More tears fell, mingling with her unstoppable laughter. “Please don’t have them leave on my account.” As the door opened and men began to take the Subs away, she sang, “Let them stay. Let them hear how good the Master is at fooling me.”  
    She took off her turtleneck—
    The blood drained from Derek’s face when he saw what was underneath it.
    His choker.
    The one she had never worn since they had left the shop…until now.
    What the fuck did that mean?
    “Jaike—” He reached for her, a cold, debilitating sense of fear wrapping itself around him, telling him if he didn’t hold on to her now, she would be gone from him forever.
    But Jaike danced away from him. She threw her turtleneck to the floor. Stroking the collar around her neck lovingly, she looked at him and said, “This is how good you are at fooling me, Master. I came here wearing this because I wanted to surprise you. I wanted you to see me wearing this while I told you I love you—”
    Derek couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Jaike…loved him?
    Jaike said brightly, “But that’s not all, Master.” She watched the last of the Subs leave and frowned. “Don’t go! I haven’t said the best part yet!” But none of them looked back, all of them set on following their Dom’s command. They really were the ideal Subs. And she was—
    nothing.
    Because she was her mother’s daughter and Diana was nothing. So Jaike was nothing, too.
    She whirled around to face Derek, and looking at him, she felt like someone else was taking over her body, someone who couldn’t be hurt because she was the perfect Sub.
    “I met with Angelo this morning. Did you know that?” Jaike knew she was the one speaking, but it was as if she was hearing another woman say the words. All she could do was watch and wait for her to self-destruct.
    Derek’s chest squeezed at the name. But this time, it was not rage that made him feel cold inside. This time it was fear and the slowly dawning realization that he might have gotten everything so fucking wrong.
    “You see, a few days ago I found a letter in my bookshelf. It was from Angelo. He’s the nephew of Anthony. My mother’s Dom. Did you know that? I didn’t know that. He told me he loved me in his letter. Not in so many words, but you get the picture. Well, I turned Angelo down. Because I love you. And I thought about telling you that I met him, but I didn’t want you to be mad so I thought I’d tell you later – and now is later so now I’m telling you.”  
    When Derek started for her, there was a look on his face that made her babble faster even as she tried backing away. “I’m my mother’s daughter. Did I tell you that, too? She liked making her Dom happy, and I want to make my Dom happy. I want you happy.”
    “Jaike—”
    She backed away faster from his touch. “You know Anthony, her Dom? He liked to hurt her, and she was okay with it because she loved him. I’m okay with you hurting me because I love—” Jaike screamed when Derek caught her and hauled her into his arms.
    “No, don’t touch me! I’m not—”
    “I love you—”
    Something snapped inside her at the words, and she began to sob. She wanted to speak, wanted to tell him to stop lying. Couldn’t he stop lying? Couldn’t he stop hurting her? Didn’t he see how it killed her to hear his lies?  
    But she couldn’t.  
    All she could do was cry as she tried to struggle out of his arms.
    Derek’s face was ashen, everything inside him bleeding as the truth of