America's POV
I carefully lay the towels beneath Maxon after locking every door and covering every window. My hands are shaking like rattles. I try and take a steady breath, but all it does it make me remember as to why I want to calm myself down. What the hell is happening?
"America," Maxon says slowly, coming out more of an exhale. "Your record with trust, albeit short and inconvenient at the moment, hasn't been so good as of late. But this is a secret that goes to your grave." He takes another breath and struggles to slip off his suit coat. I help him out of it, and my irrational thoughts about undressing him enter my mind. I have to admit a part of me is ecstatic to know what this secret is if it means his being shirtless.
But when I start to unbutton his shirt and take it off, making a sticky sound, my excitement deteriorates like a wilting flower.
"Slowly," he says.
Maxon takes a breath—as do I, considering his sculpted torso makes an appearance yet again. I move behind him to go from there, and I can't hold back my gasp.
The back of Maxon's shirt is completely soaked with blood.
I stare at it for a moment before realizing that my gaping probably makes things worse. Once I get his shirt off, I go to the bathroom and put it beneath the water spout of the porcelain tub. I turn on the water for a moment, and the metallic smell wafts to my nose. The water washes away some of the blood, the red water going down the drain. I turn off the faucet for now and grab a hand towel, dousing it in warm water before returning to Maxon.
Who would do this to him?
I get a good look of his back. There's a thick lash that's bright red around the edges and bleeding. It overlaps yet another, and another, until I finally count sixteen fresh marks. The rawer ones are thicker in width compared to the ones overlapping the scars. The scarred gashes look thinner and much more painful.
Suddenly, images of Maxon play in my head like a film—how he would stretch his back when he talked about his father, how he looked during the caning. It all makes sense.
Maxon's father gave him these wounds, and the ones before. How can any man do this to his son?
"This might sting a little," I warn, showing him the wet towel from behind him.
"It's okay," he whispers. "I'm used to it."
I hate that. I hate the fact that he's used to it. I hate that this ever happened at all.
I start from the one at the very top, the last one he has received, dabbing at the long gouge.
"I suppose I owe you an explanation," Maxon says, and I don't respond. How do you respond to something like this? "As I have said, my father is a megalomaniac—"
"I didn't know it went this far."
He breathes, sounding a bit like a mirthless laugh. "I haven't gotten whipped since before the Selection. Today was actually a lucky day. He didn't have his actual whip, so he used his belt."
"Maxon, no matter what he hits you with, it's never going to be okay."
He stays quiet for a while until he continues. "Before Kenna left the family and got married, we would all get punished evenly. If someone so much as responded to Father trying to outwit him, we would all get whipped."
I can't believe that May, who just oozes confidence, and Gerad, a small who isn't even a teenager yet, gets abused like this.
"Did—does—anyone else know?" I ask. I'd hate to think that someone as sweet as Amberly wouldn't do a thing to refrain Clarkson.
"My siblings, of course, and our housekeeper and maid, Eliza, but she gets whipped as well, so I suppose this isn't as big of a secret."
"What about your mother?"
"I would never tell my mother or even give her a reason to suspect. She knows Father is stern with all of us—the entire household, in fact—but no one wants her to worry. Besides, she's out of town too often to know what really happens at home. My siblings and I all promised each other to hide it from her, and we made Eliza swear too. No one wants her to worry. And all of us can take it."
I keep dabbing.
"He's not like this with her," he promises quickly. "She gets mistreated in her own ways, I'm sure, but not like this."
"Hmm," I say, not quite sure what to say.
I wipe again, and Maxon hisses. "Damn, that stings."
I pull away for a minute while slows down his breathing. After a while, he moves his head in an approximation of a nod, so I start again.
"That explains your siblings' behaviors," I say. "Kenna's leaving, Kota's running away, May's partying and clubbing, Gerad's cursing, though I don't know your way of tolerating it."
"I just keep taking pictures as if nothing's wrong," he says a bit sullenly. "The camera won't get my emotions if I'm the one using it."
I nod, even though he can't see me. "Why did you get whipped just now?" I ask, then shake my head. "Never mind. That's rude."
He shrugs his better shoulder. "My father asked..." He trails off, trying to think of a way to tell me.
"It's fine," I say, dabbing gently at the next wound. "You don't have to tell me. I respect your privacy."
"I'll tell you soon enough," he vows. "Just not now."
"That's perfectly fine," I say.
"Without divulging any details, I can tell you that he basically asked me if I was here for you, and not the crown." I hold my breath, waiting for his answer, but I can already guess just by looking at his lashes. "I said that I wanted you and not the throne, that if royalty or not, I still would have wanted you."
Tears fill my eyes at his words. He hasn't said the three words yet, but he is so very close.
"He thought me ridiculous and idiotic for wanting a person who wouldn't 'benefit' me." Maxon makes the point of using air-quotes with his fingers.
"Thank you," I manage to say. "Instead of lying, you..." I laugh weakly, brushing a tear from my cheek.
His hand finds my knee. "How are you going to finish fixing me up if you're crying?"
I laugh again and find the first-aid kit he brought up here. I open the box and find salves, ointments, and bandages. "How did you get past the doctor?" I ask as I read the labels of disinfectants, trying to find the right ones.
"I told the doctor that my maid scraped her knee."
"Judging by the supplies the doctor gave you, you must have made it sound like your maid was bleeding to death."
He laughs weakly, but it turns into a cringe of pain when he bends his back even the slightest bit.
"This might hurt a bit," I say, preparing to apply the medication.
When it makes contact with his skin, he grunts once then reverts to silence. I try to be quick and thorough, ready to make him as comfortable as possible. I start putting some salve that seems to be working. Some tension leaves his shoulders, and I'm glad. If he hadn't revealed his feelings about me, this never would have happened. But I suppose I can't really place blame on anyone except for Clarkson.
Maxon snorts out a light laugh. "I had a feeling my secret would come out eventually. I've taken to dressing myself everyday, so my maids don't know. I got to thinking a few months ago that I needed a good story for my wife, but I assured myself with the possibility that I might not even marry."
"I guess it would be a more difficult manner if you and I were reversed. That you were the prince that needed to marry, and I a girl fighting for you."
He chuckles. "I guess I'm glad I'm not the prince then."
I want to say that in the event that I choose him, he would be the prince. But I see no point in arguing right now.
"America," he says, as I start to wrap the bandages around his torso, "you can choose to eliminate me now. You know how my father truly is. If you don't want that man in your life, I'll understand. I can go home with my family as soon as you want me gone. I—"
"Shh," I say, tying the bandage off. "How is that?" I ask, ignoring what he just said.
A sliver of me wants to take that into consideration. Who knows what that man could as a One? But the stronger, bigger portion wants Maxon to stay no matter the circumstances.
"That's great, America," he says, twisting and bending a bit, moving gingerly. He turns to look at me, his expression grateful. "Better than any job I ever did myself."
"Anytime."
My eyes dart to his chest, and I wonder if that lucky housekeeper, Eliza, was ever fortunate enough to see this freely.
I stand. "I'm going to wash your shirt." I return to the bathroom, with all of the towels I used, and put it in the hamper. I wash Maxon's shirt, because it distracts me from looking at his chest.
When I wring the shirt dry and put it in the laundry basket with the towels, I see Maxon staring at me. "Why did you tug your ear a while ago?"
"Well, my initial thought was to ask where your older siblings were," I say, joining him beside the bed. "But the real reason is that today is Marlee and Carter's wedding."
Maxon springs up, immediately groaning in pain. I put a hand on his shoulder and ease him down slowly. "Are you okay?" I ask.
"We can't miss it," he says. "We have to go."
"It's fine," I say, even though I don't want to miss it myself. "I'm sure Carter of all people will understand."
"Then let's go because you want to go," he says, pulling me up delicately. "I know you want to go. You fixed me, now let me do something for you."
"What if your father sees?" I still ask, though I'm already grabbing Maxon a shirt, a coat, and a tie.
"It'll be okay. What time are the things with your parents later?"
"Not until four o'clock, and it's about two right now." I walk over to him with his new clothes. Even the fabrics hold his scent.
"Excellent," he replies, and he struggles to dress. I help him into his clothes and tie his tie for him. "When did you learn how to—"
"I asked my father to teach me," I say, cutting him off. "I'm a woman of many talents." I say it to lighten the mood, but Maxon takes it to heart.
"Yes, you are."
Before we leave the room, he pulls me in for a soft kiss. "Thank you, America."
I look intently into his eyes. "I will guard this with my life."
He kisses my nose and exits with me. "Come on. We have a wedding to attend."
Disclaimer: All lines from The Elite are Kiera Cass's. I'm sure you'll recognize them, as well as her characters.
So, um, yeah. That just happened.
PrincessIndia- Ooh, two endings. I feel like that's too satisfying for everyone, and I'm an evil author, so what I'll do is write the actual ending and maybe an alternative ending. So yeah. Evil author coming your way! Thanks so much!
agb1700- Reason I love Maxon: chocolate brown eyes :P Haha your neologisms are the best! As usuality, your reviews are AMAZINGER. :) Thanks so much! Lurve ya!
theoneforever- Awww it really makes me smile when someone says my story made them cry. Lol I'm not sadistic or anything, but I'm just happy to know that my writing actually affects people. Thank you so much!
lilythemermaid- Gotta love Maxon :) Actually, I know someone that went through that. His father whipped his three children with belts. Um, yeah. Sorry! Didn't mean to depress you. So glad you're still liking it! Thank you sooo much! LALALOL P.S. I saw atm at the end and I was like $_$ MONEY!
Kiren- I don't know. Can Clarkson die? :P Thank you!
Book addict 112- Sorry this wasn't Maxerica! I'm sure you'll see Asperica in the future. Thank you so much!
The Devil Wears Westwood- I loooove Wicked! Was this chapter fluffy enough? :/ Thank you so much!
Guest- Aw, thank you so much! Glad you're liking it!
EWhisks- *British accent* Let it all unfold. I'm happy you're loving it! Thanks so much!
miaforevez- Haha I hate the heat. I'd much rather be cold than hot. Like, I'd wear shorts during the winter. Haha and you cried? Aw, thank you so much! It means my story is affecting you :P Thanks!
dakotamo- HAHAHAHAHAHA :D Thank you so much!
piepie1289- Trying to find a way to work out is really confusing. Like, would it be...Ew, no, never mind. This is a conundrum :/ Lol thanks!
winterprincess- Clarkson, how dare you -_- Thanks so much!
HorseGalFangirl9- Aww you're sobbing? I hope I'm not literally killing you. Are you there? Hellooo? :P Thank you so much!
Angela Noelle- New reviewer! I do like Divergent :) I've read the first two chapters of your story, and WOW, it's so interesting! I was going to read more, but I've been writing a chapter to reading a chapter ratio has been 2:0 lately. I'm glad you're enjoying! Thank you so much!
krriordan- Haha yes for the acrobats? Awesome :) Thank you so much! P.S. I found it funny you put a smiley face next to "I feel bad for Maxon." :P
ChloeluvsTHG- New reviewer! Thank you sooooo much! Everyone's support, including yours, is phenomenal in and of itself. Thanks again!
lovewords- New reviewer! I think. I'm glad you like my Aspen! And thank you for the long review! I quite like long reviews :) Thank you so much!
Catherine du Beau- New reviewer! And yes, America knows about the whippings :P Thank you so much!
Love ya!- AcademicGirl