Page 107 of Valentine’s Billionaire Auction

And right now, it felt like everything we’d built was crumbling. I couldn’t tell what was real and what was just my imagination.

Did I get blinded by sex?

No. I was immune to that trick. There had been many a woman that tried to lure me, seduce me, and snare me with sex. That was not it. I went into this relationship with Kaira with my eyes wide open. I didn’t believe she had a nefarious bone in her body.

I paced my room, running my hands through my hair as waves of anger and frustration crashed over me. She had violated my trust in the deepest way possible. It hurt because she was the first person I trusted in a long, long time. Maybe ever. I could feel I was making a bigger deal out of this than necessary.

The logical side of me knew that but I was feeling anything but logical at the moment. As usual, when I was spinning out, I needed to get my ass to the gym to keep myself from doing something stupid.

I jerked my shirt open, ignoring the buttons popping left and right. I moved to sit on the bed to take off my shoes when I saw a pair of black panties on the pillow.

My stomach clenched. Her being all dressed up and the panties on the pillow. She had been planning a special night for us. I didn’t know how I felt about that.

Instead of dwelling on it, I kicked off my shoes, stripped, and put on my shorts.

I made my way down to the gym, hoping to work off some of this pent-up frustration. The second I stepped through the door, I could feel my muscles start to uncoil, the tension easing ever so slightly. This was my sanctuary, just as much as that studio was for me.

I wrapped my hands and started pounding away at the heavy bag. My punches were violent, far more than they usually were. Every thud of my fists against the bag intensified my anger. I pictured her face, her guilt and remorse, and it only fueled the anger.

With each strike, the rage and hurt roiled inside me, a volatile storm I couldn’t seem to calm. Sweat beaded on my skin as I unleashed punishing blows against the bag.

There was a sick, twisting sensation in my gut that I couldn’t shake no matter how hard I hit. I trusted Kaira—foolishly, it seemed. I let her into my world, let her see the parts of me I kept locked away from everyone else. And she repaid that trust by snooping around.

I understood it wasn’t just the fact she walked into the room. It was a glimpse into a future with her. If I couldn’t trust her to do that one small thing, how could I trust her with anything else?

With a final vicious combination, I stepped back from the bag, chest heaving. Sweat poured down my face and back as I tried to catch my breath. The physical exertion had helped burn off some of the anger, but an uncomfortable knot of uncertainty still lingered.

I wasn’t sure if it would ever be gone.

41

KAIRA

Ifled to my room, tears blinding my vision as I slammed the door behind me. My chest heaved with sobs. I pressed my hands to my face, trying to smother the sound. Roman’s words replayed in my mind, cutting deeper each time. I felt like I had destroyed everything. I felt like I’d destroyed us.

Things were just starting to get really good between us. I looked down at the dress and felt ridiculous. This night was supposed to be all about us. I planned to seduce him and rock his world. That had certainly blown up in my face.

I collapsed onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow. The sobs wracked my body. His anger had been visceral, his words so nasty. I had never seen Roman so furious, so utterly devastated. And I was the cause of it.

Guilt and regret swirled through me like a storm. How could I have been so careless, so reckless? I knew that room was off-limits, yet I had barged in without a second thought, driven solely by curiosity. In doing so, I had violated Roman’s trust in the worst way possible. I knew how guarded he was.

Just that very day, Marilyn had been telling me how much better Roman was. She was so happy to see Roman coming out of the prison he put himself in.

And I sent him right back there.

I knew I had blown it. Roman was not the kind of man to forgive and forget. He wasn’t just going to move on from this. I could feel that in my very soul.

I grabbed my phone and called Carla. She didn’t answer. I tried again, my fingers shaking as I hit redial. This time, after several rings, she picked up. “Hey, Kaira, what’s up?”

“Are you at work?” I asked, choking out a sob.

“Uh, no, but⁠—”

I broke down completely, my words tumbling out in a mix of sobs and sentences. “Carla, I screwed everything up. Roman’s furious, and I… I don’t know what to do. I just need you. Are you at home?”

There was a pause, then Carla sighed. “I’m sorry, Kaira. I really am. But I’m not at home.”

There was something in her tone that felt off. Oddly enough, she sounded a lot like Roman. She was guarded. Distant. I wiped my face with the back of my hand. “What’s wrong?” I sniffled as I sat up.