Ophelia Bellerose:

"Dean?"

I lowered the pan and kept the dogs back and told them to go back upstairs, my eyes never leaving Dean's bruised and cut face.

I gestured for him to walk in but as he took the first step he stumbled and I caught him but he was mega heavy so I used all my strength to help him up the flight of stairs that were waiting in front of me. He winced every now and then holding his ribs.

I sat him on the sofa not feeling strong enough to help him up the second set of stairs by myself. I went to get the emergency kit and anything that I thought I needed to clean him up.

I sat in front of him and prepped the things I needed next to me.

"Take your shirt off," I ordered and with a little struggle he lifted his top up over his head. I gasped seeing the damage that was done.

"What happened?" I asked, my fingers lightly tracing the purple, nearly black, bruises.

"I got jumped." He hissed when I dabbed the disinfectant on the biggest cut at the corner of his head.

"No shit. But why? I thought you were with the guys at your dad's place." I continued taking care of his wounds.

"I was, but I needed to do something and it didn't turn out as I thought it would." I placed some ointment on his bruises and put platers on the cuts that needed it.

"What did you need to do to get jumped and finish in such a state? Sell drugs or something?" I scoffed but a hint of humour but looking at him that soon dropped.

"You sell drugs." I sat back on my legs since I was on my knees. I just sat there processing everything.

"Look, Ophelia, I know it may sound odd but I can explain why I do what I do." I nodded but I couldn't say anything or meet his eyes. I continued wrapping him up without a word.

I stood up and tidied everything up still without saying a word.

"sunshine, talk to me please..." I continued putting everything away and got some painkillers for him and a glass of water.

"Take these, they will help with the pain. You can crash here for the night." I told him keeping a stoic face still not understanding everything.

"I'm in a gang. My dad is the leader. I help him with trades, that includes drugs and guns." I stopped in my tracks and turned to him.

"Why are you telling me this like it would make everything better?" I asked in disbelief.

"It won't. But I need to at least explain myself to you. I don't want you to think of me as anything different than what you know me as." I looked at him and came a little closer.

"I don't know what to think," I whispered sitting next to him. I didn't feel scared, I felt oddly safe near him.

"Are Ben and Ace in that business?" I asked to make sure.

"I can't tell you that." I nodded.

"So that means yes..." I pointed out and I could see on his face that I was right. My mind was all over the place I couldn't imagine them begin in that sort of industry.

"Anything else you want to confess?" I crossed my arms over my chest and stood up again.

"Not in this moment in time. But I don't want you to be scared Lia and I would make sure that nothing would happen to you, that is a promise. I don't want you to think any differently of me." He stood up with a little struggle and limped over to me.

"Look and me Sunshine." He cupped my face with a little difficulty on his side.

"I don't want anything to change and I know I should have told you before..." I looked up at him and cut him off.

"Then why didn't you tell me? I told you my deepest darkest secrets about my past and you weren't even honest with me about this side of your life." I saw the guilt and sadness that crossed his eyes but he held me close to him.

"I don't know what to think about all this. I think need time to absorb all the information. I would have just wished you were honest with me. And I thought that us being in a relationship would have been a little more honest with me but turns out I need you to turn up at my doorstep black and blue for you to be honest with me." I stepped away and walked to the closet next to the kitchen to get a blanket and some pillows for him.

"Where. I'm going to bed. Night."

"Night" and with that, I went up the stairs.

I closed the door with Rex in tow. I slid down my back against the door and held Rex tight in my arms.

"Why did he lie?" I whispered to him but of course, he is a dog and he isn't going to answer me.

I hope this is the only thing he is hiding from me but I'm not so sure.