AllFreeNovel
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“He just sent his men back to London with the shipment. He didn’t go with them.” Tony raises a bottle of beer to his lips, condensation dripping down the glass. “He walked down the street, looking like a lost puppy.”
“I just can’t…” I rub my forehead. Panic begins to rush through me. Should I go find him? No, I can’t do that. He didn’t leave. Why didn’t he leave? “He lied and used me. How do I just let that go?” I look to Tony, angry he can even suggest it. Isn’t he meant to be my biggest protector?
“Just go home and think about it, okay?” He gestures to Leo, who’s been playing a game of pool by himself. “Leo will walk you girls home so you feel safe, but it’s over now. No one is coming after you. You’re safe.” He sends me a meaningful look before turning to go back up to his office, suddenly looking very tired.
It’s been a long few days for me, but amongst all my chaos, I forgot about his.
“Tony.”
He pauses, glancing over his shoulder at me.
“Are you okay?” As much as I want to go home, if he needs me, I’ll stay.
“Yeah, Al. I’m good. Go home and get some rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, he disappears out the back.
I need to come talk to him tomorrow.
The walk back to our apartments is quiet and quick, but by the time I cross my front door, I’m freezing cold.
I walk through the apartment, putting all my lamps on as I always do. The sofa calls to me in the living room. The duck down of the cushions hugs my body and brings an overwhelming sense of relief as I look around the room. I’m home. The last time I was here, I was unimaginably happy because ofhim,and now he’s gone. He’s gone.
Sucking in a stuttering breath, I fight back the flood of sadness that would push me to the floor if I wasn’t sitting down. He’s barely left, and I miss him. I hug his clothes wrapped around my body. Making this man leave me is going to split me in two.
My hand goes to my pocket before I can consider whether it’s a good idea, until I realise I left my smashed phone at the pub. It won’t even turn on after what Harry did to it.
I can’t call him. I can’t text him. He’s going to leave, and even if I wanted to, I can’t stop him. The idea of never seeing him again breaks me. For the first time since everything happened, I let the tears flow. The anger I’ve put up as a wall against all my feelings crumbles. My body curls over, and every ounce of pain, fear, and sadness comes flooding out.
I hate him for what he did to me, I hate that he betrayed my trust, and I hate that he rescued me and made me love him more for being my white knight after all. White knight or not, if I can’t forgive him for what he did, everything becomes void. I cry until my body won’t sob anymore. My face feels aflame and my body weak as I struggle to muster the strength to go the bathroom for a tissue. I don’t dare turn the lights on and see myself. I’m not sure I can stand the sight right now. I need to get a drink of water and go to bed, need to sleep this whole mess off, even if it takes three weeks to do so. I’ll hibernate if I have to.
I’m walking through to the kitchen, when I hear the knock. It’s quiet but unmistakable. It stops my heart in my chest, and fear races through me with the thought that it’s a friend of Harry or someone else out to use me.
But then another thought crosses my mind.
I run to the door to look through the peephole, fresh tears welling behind my eyes when I stare at his despicably handsome features.
Surprise crosses his face when I open the door, but it’s quickly replaced with anguish when he sees my face. “Missy.”
I hate him, but I love him more.
The second my body collides with his, his arms are lifting me and hugging me tightly to his chest. After carrying me back over the threshold, he kicks the door shut behind him, not letting it slow him down as he carries me through the apartment and back to the sofa.
“I’m so sorry. I can’t stand seeing you like this. Please, baby girl, let me fix it.” He sits down, still hugging me to his chest, but it’s not close enough.
I need him to fix this. I need him to take away all the hate, pain, and fear and make everything right again. He didn’t turn out to be the perfect love story I thought he would, but surely if we can get past this, we could be.
“You have to fix it.”
My words are muffled against his chest, so he leans back, tilting my face up in his hands.
“Say that again, Missy.” His eyes search mine, and his slight confusion makes me wonder if I’ve fallen off the deep end.
“You have to fix this. You have to make this right. I hate the idea of being without you, but I’m so fucking mad at you.” The tears that had been sitting spill over my cheeks and drip onto his hands.
Hope springs upon his face. “You don’t want me to go?”
“If you fuck me over again, Joseph, I swear toGod. I’ll shoot you!”
“Baby girl, I’ll give you the gun.”
