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CHAPTER1
Past Wounds~Olivia
“Open the fucking door, Olivia,”Damien spat.
I sliced my gaze to the shaking coffee table perched up against the front door as I packed my duffel bag. I didn't care about the furniture or the photos. I only cared about getting the last of my things out to my car and getting the hell out of there in one piece. The banging subsided, and I stilled my movements, placing one foot in front of the other at a sloth-like pace as I made my way from the bedroom to the living room. The strap to my duffle dug into the flesh of my shoulder, and although the sensation of a heavy bag was always annoying, it stung worse this time.
“Fuck, Olivia!” he yelled once more.
The round vase on the coffee table toppled off the edge and rolled to the center of the room. Oreo circled it and placed her tiny paw on top of the colorful vase. I thought Damien was going to knock the door down. I was sure of it. He had no issues applying force to things. He made sure I knew that.
“C’mon, baby. I promise I’ll never do anything to hurt you again. You’re overreacting. Let’s just talk.”
Lies. Our entire relationship was soaked in paint and dried in a coat of hurtfulness. I was tired of the pain, the physical and the emotional. The cracks in my heart and the splinter in my soul weighed me down, and although when I looked into Damien’s eyes, a flicker of hope teased me, I knew that light would die out, that it wouldn’t last. Because it never did. Oreo circled my ankles, and I picked her up and set her on the couch. The banging stopped, and Damien powered down the stairs and out of the front door of the building. A sigh of relief washed over me when the engine of his truck started up, and I peeked out of the window.
I’m officially single and staying off the market for the rest of my life. Oreo purred before jumping into my arms. I set her down on the coffee table and geared up my strength before pushing it away from the door. Just like the queen she was, Oreo sat and watched as a row of sweat broke across my forehead.I let my arms drop heavily to my side. I picked up the duffle and scooped Oreo into my arms. Taking one last glance at the place I had called home for the previous two years, I placed the key on the kitchen counter and opened the front door.
* * *
“Out of all theplaces we could have gotten lunch, you choose the coffeehouse you work at?” Mia plopped down into the chair and reached for her favorite drink.
“I know, but they have the best gingersnap cookies, and I get a discount because I work here.”
She sipped her coffee with squinted eyes as she peered in my direction. Mia begged to have lunch with me today. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and turn on The Witcher as I stuffed cheese cream bagel bites between my lips. Guilty pleasure.
“How did it go? I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there with you. Fucking traffic.” She grabbed my hand and relayed a soft smile.
Mia’s been my best friend since high school. Our acquaintance was like fate. I had cookies, and she had Nutella. It was a friendship match made in heaven.
I took a sip of my matcha green tea and breathed. “It was okay. I thought he would knock down the door, but the coffee table came in handy.”
“Ugh. I hope he gets hit by a bus or drowns, or for fuck sake, maybe a pack of hyenas will find him.”
“I don’t think there are any hyenas in Stonebridge.” I snorted.
“Dream big girlie, anything is possible. Anywho, onward and upward.” She raised her coffee cup and clanked it against mine.
Even in the worse of situations, she knew exactly how to make me feel better. That was her gift. She was the light that I needed when dreariness surrounded me.
“So, how’s the apartment decorating coming along? Did you—”
“Umm, hey. “ A voice interrupted Mia mid-sentence. We both turned to find a tall slim guy around our age standing at the side of our table.
“Yeah?” Mia asked as she tapped her nails on the table.
“What’s up? I was checking you out, and you’re cute. I’m throwing a party tonight. I can text you details if you’re free.”
Being the positively optimistic mermaid Mia was, she perked up like a fresh pot of coffee.
“We’ll love too—”
“Oh, just you. No offense. You’re not the type my friends go after,” he said as he locked his gaze on my plus size curves.
Ouch. I rolled my eyes and pulled my phone out of my purse. The entire coffeehouse went silent once Mia told him off at the top of her lungs. I didn’t know if I wanted to chime in, clap, or run and hide.
“That wasn’t necessary,” I whispered.
She folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head. “It was. He’s just another douche bag with a cock between his legs and air in his brain.”
