AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It feels like he ripped my weakly beating heart out of my chest and gave it one final stomp.
“Exactly,” I say, fighting back tears. “You said you’d keep me around so long as I’m useful. I guess I’m not useful anymore. So I’d say it’s time for me to go.”
He squeezes his eyes closed for a second. When they open, there’s a desperate tinge to the electric blue. “You have to see that I had your best interests at heart.”
“What heart?” His eyes narrow, and I hold up a hand. “I’m—I’m sorry. This is actually my fault. I never should have expected anything different from you.”
“Because the man who has saved your life more times than you can count is obviously awful. What a monster,” he says, voice thick with sarcasm.
“I’d rather die on my own terms than live under yours.”
He nods, his mouth working angrily from one side to the other. “Glad to know being with me is worse than death.”
“And I’m glad to know you think I’m so incompetent that you have to make decisions for me. I guess we both learned something.” I blow out a long breath and step away from him. “Benjamin will need a bottle when he wakes up. He’s almost out of diapers, so you’ll need to get more before tomorrow. He’s—”
“He’s my son,” Timofey snarls. “I fucking know how to take care of him.”
I’m not sure how I thought this conversation would go, but I never imagined feeling like this.
Hollow. Empty. Drained to the core.
I turn and walk towards the door. Each step is a struggle. I don’t know where I’m going; I just know I can’t stay here.
Before I reach the door, I hear the scrape of keys against a table. I turn just as Timofey tosses me the keys to my motorcycle.
“Consider it severance,” he says, his voice cold and merciless.
I want to argue. I want to lie and tell him I don’t need his charity and I can get around fine on my own. But I don’t have my bike here, and I can’t imagine stuffing myself and all of the emotions clouded around me into a taxi. So I shove the keys in my back pocket and hurry out of the penthouse before I can do something stupid.
Like throw myself in Timofey’s arms and beg for him to fight for me.
96
PIPER
“Put that card away.” Noelle swats at my wallet as I try to pull my debit card out. “The food is on me.”
“I can afford a sandwich and some sweet potato fries, Noey.”
Does everyone in my life think I’m utterly helpless?
“I know you can. But you don’t have to.” She widens her eyes, giving me her scaryI-mean-businesslook.
I hold up my hands and step away from the café counter. I suppose, out of the two of us, I am the one who is jobless and homeless. Maybe it’s fair that she pays for dinner.
Noelle chooses a booth at the very back of the hip sandwich shop. We’re underneath a stuffed deer head mounted to the wall and next to a jukebox that only plays Cher songs.
It’s a weird post-breakup dinner spot, but it’s close to Noelle’s work and I wanted to meet as soon as possible.
She slides a tray in front of me with my food piled on top. It’s been spray painted gold and the napkins have “SILF” written on them.
I hold one up and point to the acronym. “What is that?”
“‘Sandwich I’d Like to Fuck.’”
“Ew.” I wrinkle my nose and crush the napkin in my hand. “Who would want to fuck a sandwich?”
Noelle gives me an apologetic shrug. “This used to be a Mexican place, but they closed down last year. A couple twenty-somethings own the place now. It’s weird, but they have a good Italian sub.”
