I scoffed at that. She wasn’t wrong.
“Cole. I have a family. I need to go home.”
I took her hands in mine and held them tightly. “I-I know. You-You have a husband a-and a life. I know that. I just really need this time, Rosalie. I need-I need to prove to you that I’m worth it. That you should come home. That I’m who you’re meant to be with. Please. Give me the time to prove it.”
“Cole, I’m married,” she said gently. “I love my husband?—”
“You love me,” I said fiercely, reaching out and cradling her face. “You fucking love me, Rosalie. I know you do, baby. I know you’re angry. I know you think… fuck. I-I need the two weeks. Please. I really will let you go at the end of it.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. “My husband will kill you if he finds out you have me.”
“I can handle Anson.”
She laughed softly at that. “It’s your funeral.”
“I’d gladly die for you. You’re worth it,” I murmured.
Her expression softened at my words. “I don’t want my family worried, Cole. Please. If you care about me at all, you’ll let me go.”
“You won’t talk to me,” I mumbled. “If I let you go. You won’t. You’ll keep hating me. I need the two weeks to convince you.”
She laughed softly at that. “It would take you a lifetime to make me love you again after what you’ve done. For then. For now.”
Her words were like a shot through my heart.
I let my hands fall away from her face, my heart and soul breaking apart. There was no way she fucking loved Ass Hat more than she ever loved me. The thought made me want to vomit.
I wanted to tell her I never cheated on her. That I was never with another woman. That it has always fucking been her. That I’d gone to save E.
FUCK.
I breathed out.
“If you want to be free from me, you’ll have to kill me. I suggest you start thinking of creative ways, Rosebud. You have two weeks.” I got up and walked around her before going to her door. “And stop screaming. I soundproofed this place. The cameras are gone. No one can hear you down here.”
I left, the door locking behind me.
I had two weeks to prove to her I was worth it. I’d probably dug a deeper hole than I knew how to climb out of by kidnapping her, but hell, maybe digging deeper would get me to the other side.
Seemed like the best option I had right now, so I was going to roll with it.
2
EVAN
Ihated Chicago.
I used to love it. It was my favorite place on earth, unless you counted my Ro’s arms, but now it was a place that took everything from me.
I’d burn it to the ground if I could.
“Nothing?” I asked as Klaus came out of a shop where we’d heard some jewelry had been pawned off.
“No. Not her stuff,” he said.
I let out a breath of relief. I couldn’t bear to go in and look. If I saw her wedding ring in a fucking pawn shop, I knew I’d set fire to everything.
We got back into Klaus’s car and pulled back onto the street. The cops in this city were worthless. They’d not been able to do shit. I assumed Enzo owned them, and I was ready to pay his ass a visit.
