“Please, I’m begging you, anything you want, just don’t—”
Lyrius didn’t even know what he was doing. The next thing he was aware of was the phone in his hand again. He didn’t remember crossing the two strides, didn’t remember bending down, didn’t remember whose elbow he’d clipped on the way past—
All he knew, as he finally allowed himself to see what Lara had been begging him to watch—
No. No. No.
Lara’s screen showed Kyara on her knees, in front of Wallace, her face a picture of unbearable terror and desperation.
“Please...”
Lyrius felt sick to his stomach as he watched Kyara beg for Wallace’s mercy...because she believed he needed protecting.
I’m so, so sorry but I can’t choose you.
She had turned him down not because she didn’t love him.
She had chosen her ex over Lyrius because she loved him.
Why, Kyara? Why? Why didn’t you come to me?
Lyrius could feel his chest tightening to the point that he was finding it hard to breathe. But still he forced himself to continue watching. Even rewinding and replaying the security footage to know the exact extent of what she had suffered...because of him.
Cyrus shoving her off...
The back of Kyara’s head hitting the wall...
Cyrus grabbing her by the hair...
Lyrius nearly fell to his knees. He had done that to her. All of this...was his fault. Because he had gotten everything so damn wrong.
Chapter 14
IT WAS ANOTHER DAYat work, another day of struggling to remember to be thankful that she had a job...even if it meant working with her ex—
“Buy me coffee from Joe’s, will you?”
—whose only seeming goal in life at present was to torture her.
“Of course, Mr. Wallace.”
She stood at the side of his desk a moment too long, because she’d only been on this floor for a day and a half and she still didn’t know which Joe’s he meant, the one in the lobby or the one across the street, and she’d already learned that asking the wrong question was worse than getting the wrong coffee.
“What?”
“Where would I...” She saw Cyrus raise a brow at her question, and she forced a smile. “What I mean is—I’ll be right back.”
“Good girl.”
He slapped her butt as she turned around, and the worst thing about it was how everyone had seen what he’d done...and they’d all just laughed.
I can’t do this anymore.
She did her best to blink back tears as they started making jokes about her, and Kyara kept walking because she was afraid if she stopped, her knees would not start again.
I don’t know what to do.
She walked out of the office. Took the stairs to avoid people seeing her because—
