"He said... he said he did everything to have me."
"Maya, don’t you see what’s actually happening here?"
He presses his foot on the gas as the light turns green.
"Think about the timeline. He didn’t just stumble into an obsession with you after the wedding, Maya.He only married Valeria to get closer to you."
I shake my head.
"No... no way. That’s insane. I’m not interesting enough for a man like Graham to orchestrate a whole marriage just to get near me. It doesn’t make sense."
"Doesn’t it?" William counters. "He probably froze her cards to try to force you back. He keeps getting you fired. He’s a psychopath, Maya."
My head starts to spin out of control.
Because maybe... just maybe, William is completely right.
The pieces fit together.
It was never about Valeria.
It was alwaysme.
I was the target from the very beginning.
By the time the spinning in my head slows, we reach his apartment building. William leads me up to his place, unlocking the door to a space that feels warm and clean. He walks me down the short hallway and opens the door to a spare bedroom.
"This is yours," he says. "You stay here for as long as you need, okay?"
For the first time in my entire miserable life, I feel safe.
The nightmare is paused.
Too bad it won’t last.
It never fucking does.
13
GRAHAM
She actually thinks I let her go.
The thought alone brings a chuckle to my throat as I sit in my SUV, parked across the street from that pathetic excuse for a motel.
I didn't let her go.
I simply opened the door to show her just how wide, how endless, and how inescapable my cage truly is.
I wanted her to realize that every single door in this city is locked to her except mine. I was waiting for her to crawl right back into my waiting arms.
But then...
I sawhim.
My grip on the steering wheel tightens until the leather groans. I watched through the windshield as she ran down those stairs. I watched her throw herself at him. I watched her hug him—hug him with a desperation that belongs tome.
I followed his car through the city traffic. My hyper-fixated eyes were glued to the rear window of his vehicle, watching her as she talked to him the entire fucking car ride, spilling the secrets of her torment into ears that aren't mine.
