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His eyes widen. “The casino king’s daughter?”
“You know her?” I ask.
Camden’s head is going back and forth between our exchange. “What the hell are you two talking about?”
Maddox takes a deep breath and looks at Camden. “He’s being serious, man. Dugrays are old money and this is the way things are in their world. I’m sure his dad picked Liliana after some business talk with her father. These rich pricks still live in the past of selling your daughter for a goat or some shit, except now it’s selling them for the best business deal or merger.”
“Wait, this is legit?” Camden asks in awe.
I groan. “I’m not trying to sound like a dick, man, but I do mean it when I say you won’t understand because you didn’t grow up in this pretentious world.”
He rolls his eyes.
“Trust me, if I didn’t grow up around these people, it would seem like a joke to me. Sometimes I still don’t understand it, but it’s what has been expected of me since I was born. There is no way out of it. My father had to do it, as did his father before him.”
Camden narrows his eyes. “If you knew all of this, then why did you date Em? Why string her along all this time?”
Maddox chimes in, “Yeah, Con, that was a bitch move. That girl is damn near in love with you.”
There is no excuse that I can come up with because what I did was wrong. I hate that I did it, but I don’t regret the time I had with Emree. It was selfish and knowing I hurt her makes me sick.
“I know,” I tell them. My shoulders drop. “It was fucked up, but you both know her. How could I not want to be around that woman? I tried, guys. I seriously did. You saw me dating other people and trying to keep her at arm’s length in the beginning.”
“Did you at least explain all that to her? Because from what Blaire told me, you didn’t give Em any indication you were going to be ending things or a reason why,” Camden says. He seems calmer now, so maybe he believes the truth.
Shaking my head, I run my hands through my hair. “No, I couldn’t. Telling you guys has been hard enough, and I don’t want her to see me as pathetic. I already hate what I’m having to do and the more people who know, the worse it will be.”
Camden steps forward and points a finger at my chest. “You better figure this shit out, and soon. I have an angry girlfriend who I had to talk out of driving over here this morning with the promise that I would rough up your pretty face. Her words, not mine.” He starts to walk out of the room. “Now I’m going to their apartment with a long list of supplies Blaire gave me to get at the grocery store for their sulking day. I’ll take money out of your wallet later as reimbursement.”
Maddox laughs from the bed. “That’s some funny shit. He’s off to take care of your girl on your dime.” He jumps off the bed and stretches.
“Yeah, hilarious,” I grumble.
On his way out of the room, Maddox turns to me. “Listen, man, my family, while they are a group of rich assholes, is different than yours, but if you need any help or something, I’m here.”
“Thanks, Mad, but there’s nothing that can be done. My life was planned out from the beginning and there is no discussing it with my father.”
He nods in understanding and leaves the room.
Walking over to the bed, I take a seat on the edge and feel my chest tighten. Part of me wants to text Camden and ask him to tell me how Emree is when he gets to her apartment, but I hold back. Going through Camden to get information about Emree isn’t the way to go, and if she ever found out, she would kill me.
Not talking to or seeing her is going to get to me, though, but I need to find out how she is. If anything, I want to know she will be okay.
Ineedto know she will be okay.
12
EMREE
Today is the day I get my shit together. It has been almost a week since Conrad dropped the ball that he didn’t want to be with me anymore. I have sulked. I have cried. I have been angry. I have wondered what I did wrong. I have almost called him several times.
Now, it is time to put on my big girl panties.
Conrad Dugray does not deserve another tear out of me. His lack of care for me after everything we shared the last six months shows me the kind of man he is. Blaire has made sure to tell me multiple times over the last six days that I deserve better, and I will be damned if I don’t make sure I get better.
While I haven’t seen Conrad since last Sunday night, Camden came by Monday morning before classes to let me know that he left Conrad with a nasty black eye. That information somewhat made me happy because maybe Conrad will feel some of the pain he put me through, but the thought of him being hurt makes me sad and part of me, the part that still loves him, wanted to go over and see how he was and if he needed anything.
Being in love with someone who has broken your heart is a special kind of torture. Even though Conrad hurt me like he did, I can’t stop the feelings I have for him, no matter how hard I have tried. I have attempted to keep myself busy between waitressing at Whiskey Joe’s and working on my final project for my textiles class. Going nonstop has made me exhausted, but at least it has somewhat kept my mind off Conrad.
