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“So why do I have to go then?” I choked out, swooping up my things in my arms.
“Because Genna thinks it’s a good idea. I don’t know. They were really adamant about it, and I tried to fight it. I tried hard, but they didn’t go for it. I’m really sorry.”
“Well, I’m not going,” I said defiantly. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”
“Then the contract is broken.”
I shook my head. “That’s not fair.”
“No, but that’s what they said—”
“But you are paying me, right?”
“Yeah, but in the contract, it says—”
I stopped him before he could come up with some other stupid fucking excuse. “No, you know what? Don’t worry about it.” I slipped my feet into my black flats by the door and headed out, not stopping even as he called after me.
“You can’t just fuckin’ leave!”
“Yes, I can,” I called back, my feet thundering down the stairs. “The deal is off. I’m done.” I pulled out my phone and scheduled an Uber as soon as my feet hit the ground floor. Jackson wasn’t far behind me, but I paid him no attention. Leaving his house pissed off and upset was becoming a thing, apparently.
“Come on, Lena.” Jackson grabbed my wrist, his grip gentle. “Please don’t leave. There has to be something we can do to work this out.”
“Work what out?” I ripped my arm away from him, spinning around to face him. “There’s nothing to work out. This—all of this”—I motioned between the two of us—“was nothing but a job. I can’t meet the requirements.”
“But what about your school? What about your house?” He sounded desperate, and I seriously wasn’t sure why. There was no reason it should matter to him.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve always been fine—and maybe if this is over, my mom won’t be mad at me anymore,” I added, feeling the tears well up in my eyes.
“What?” Jackson looked confused. “Why would your mom be mad at you?”
“Nothing,” I snapped, shaking my head. “It’s none of your business.”
“Lena…” His face fell. “I thought—”
“Don’t,” I stopped him. “Just don’t. We’re not friends. We’re not anything. And whatever business arrangement there was between us—it’s over. I’ve given up having a normal life for this, and I’m not even respected enough to be allowed to finish my summer job and start my classes.”
“But…”
My phone pinged with a notification of the Uber waiting for me outside. I glanced down at it, and then back up at Jackson, not missing the unreadable but negative expression on his face.
“I don’t know what you want from me,” I said, batting a rogue tear from my cheek. “We hook up, but it doesn’t mean anything. I’m your fiancée, but it’s fake—but we’re sleeping together. I can’t…I can’t do it anymore. And I’m not going to sacrifice my life anymore. There’s no amount of money that’s worth losing my sanity.”
Surprisingly, Jackson didn’t argue.
And he didn’t stop me when I headed for the front door, pushing it open. The air hit my face in a warm and humid rush, my damp hair feeling sticky against the back of my neck. I made my way to the end of the driveway, slipping through the walk-through gate where a black car was waiting for me. I glanced back over my shoulder, but there was no sign of Jackson.
Reaching for the handle, I took a deep breath.
It’s over. It’s really over.
I slid into the car and pulled up my calendar, staring at the month—and the time I would miss from work and school. There was no way I was going to miss out on that. I mean, Jackson didn’t even want me to go anyway.
And then my eyes fell on a little red dot two weeks prior.
Wait a minute…
My stomach knotted up at the realization. I was late for my period.
