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I can only shake my head.
“I’ve worked my ass off to make you trustme, only to realize that I can’t trustyou.”
Incapable of holding back any longer, I rush toward him. “I’m sorry. I messed up. I should’ve told you.”
He pretends I’m not there, not talking, not begging. He sighs and pushes out of his seat and turns his back on me, fiddling with something on the credenza.
“That’s what we were coming in here to tell you. I told Chelsea she needs to admit everything to you so you could make sure what Maxim said was true. That he would keep her safe. That he loves her. I swear I really think he does.”
“Why do you think that?”
My chest aches so hard it hurts to talk. “Because…”
The crack in my voice forces me to whisper. “Because he looks at her the way you used to look at me.”
He spins around, seething in a snarl. “Well, I know now I was wrong, and so is he.”
A thick stack of hundred-dollar bills sits in his palm. I don’t understand what he’s doing.
“You got the clothes, the phone, the car, and now a shit load of money.”
He tosses the pile on the desk in front of me and cash flutters from the force, billowing across the smooth black wood. “Not too bad of a haul for a few days’ work.”
I’ve led a pretty shitty life and been treated horribly by a lot of terrible people. But no one has ever been as cruel to me as him in this moment. “Fuck you.”
He winks and grins his menacing smirk at me. “That one was on the house, baby. I’ve had better, but I hope you enjoyed it.”
Now I fully understand hatred. “Not as much as when I use my own fingers, but I’m sure the next guy will be able to actually please me.”
I don’t wait for a response. I’m too mad to trade insults anymore and bolt to my room.
My room.
I can’t believe I was ever stupid enough to think anything or anyone here was mine. Pete jumps off the bed, wagging his tail. At least he still loves me.
I rip off the pajamas I used to think were beyond adorable and yank on my own clothes. They may be cheap and old, but at least they’re really mine.
Pete does his happy dance when I clasp his harness and attach his leash. “We’re going for a really long walk this time buddy, but it’ll be worth it to get away from this place.”
He cheerfully prances beside me as I race to the hallway. Until I realize I’ve left a mess, which kills me. Especially since Mrs. Zirkelbach will be the one cleaning up the clutter. That’s not fair to her. She’s already stuck dealing with an asshole for a boss.
Confusing my poor dog, I swipe the top, pants, and underwear off the carpet and drop them into the basket in the bathroom. The blue toothbrush she gave me stands in the holder on the counter. A symbol of how much I thought he cared. Now I know the depth of his love was only worth two dollars.
No one stops us when we race down the hallway, through the foyer, and out the front door.
I guess we really are leaving this time.
Titan
Iswallow down my third glass of bourbon when the racket of Pete’s nails clicking across the hardwood clatters from the foyer.
The door slams.
Silence.
They’re gone.
Fuck.
