Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“He walked into the bar looking for a whore to make him forget the woman he really wants.”
This was going to shit. “Elise, listen to me.”
She continued to look out the window.
“Girl, look at me.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and finally met my look.
“Cauldron dumped me because I told him I loved him. I went to Grave’s apartment because I had nowhere else to go. Depressed, I made a pass at him…just to do something to hurt Cauldron…”
Her eyes remained sharp like daggers.
“And he shot me down. No hesitation. Said I was nothing compared to you.”
Her face was hard as stone, her feelings buried deep inside.
“So maybe we had a relationship before, but he’s made it clear he’s in a relationship with you now. He doesn’t want me, Elise. So don’t get hung up on the past.”
She looked out the window, her arms tight over her chest.
I waited for her to say something, but there was just silence.
I shouldn’t have called her.
“You’re sure you want to do this?” She slowly turned back to me, her voice delicate like a wilted flower. “Like I said, there’s no going back. I canceled my contracts to be with Grave, and I’m still paying for that decision.”
I nodded. “I’m absolutely sure.”
She searched my gaze for confidence. “You don’t want to find someone and settle down?”
I released a pained laugh. “I used to. I thought Cauldron was that someone, but I was wrong. It was a stupid dream. Really stupid…”
10
GRAVE
I didn’t see her over the winter holiday. Her kids were home for the week, so I just figured she didn’t have time for me. She didn’t contact me, so I assumed that was true. But once the kids were back at school, I still didn’t get a text from her.
When are you coming over? Her kids had her for a week. Now it was my turn.
That message went unanswered for nearly the entire day, which was unusual.
I felt ghosted.
She finally texted me back. I can swing by in an hour, but I can’t stay long.
Not a good sign. Alright.
An hour later, the elevator doors opened, and she appeared, wearing a heavy coat to fight the cold outside. She took one look at me—and that said it all. She didn’t even take off her jacket, like she really intended to wrap up this conversation in five minutes or less. “Did you have a good Christmas?”
I ignored the stupid question. “Get on with it.”
Her eyes flinched at my hostility.
“Say what you came to say, Elise.”
Her expression remained steady, but her breathing increased slightly. The heavy jacket rose and fell with more prominence. “I’m going back to my old contracts. So…this is over.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Care to tell me why?”
“I just…think it’s for the best.”
If I were speaking to a man, I’d scream and throw shit, but that would just make the situation worse. “Can we abandon this shitty act of diplomacy and be real for two seconds? We exchange gifts for Christmas, and now you’re here to end things? What the fuck did I do to make you so angry? Be a man and come at me directly.”
She looked away.
“Elise.”
She wouldn’t look at me.
“You think I’m gonna let you walk out of here without telling me what’s going on?”
Now she looked at me, her eyes lit up in provocation.
A slight smile moved on to my lips. “There she is.”
“I know you’re in love with Camille.”
The smile dropped off my face instantly.
“I don’t want to fuck a man as he thinks about someone else. I don’t want to be a rebound.”
I held her gaze as I processed what she’d said.
And she studied every subtle expression I made and wrote it down in her mind.
“I’m not in love with Camille.”
“Please don’t bullshit me. I’ve noticed something between you since the beginning.”
“Where is this coming from?” Last time we were together, we were like gasoline and fire. And now she acted like I’d stabbed her in the back.
“I ran into Camille.”
I knew Camille would never volunteer that information, so Elise must have ripped it out of her. “I never told Camille I loved her, so I know that’s not what she said to you.”
“But it’s so obvious.”
“You’re making assumptions without any context. And even if everything you assume were true, what does it matter? Even if I walked into that bar looking for a woman who would help me forget Camille, how does that change anything? We’ve had this conversation before, and here we are, having it again. I pay you to fuck me—end of story.”
She took a slight step back.
“Elise?”
She wouldn’t look at me.
“I’m going to tell you the whole damn story, alright?”
She turned to look at me again, her eyes guarded.
“And then I never want to speak of it again.”
Her breathing remained elevated, as if afraid to hear my tale.