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Heidi scoffs at her words.
The sound of the phone rings, breaking the silence in the empty office. "You can see yourself out," Mallory says in an icy tone.
As the sound of Heidi's heels approaches the door, I can feel my heart racing, knowing that I shouldn't be here. When the door opens, she slams it shut behind her, startled when she sees me.
I stand still, frozen, as Heidi walks toward me with a concerned expression. "Oh, Scar. How much have you heard?" she asks in a gentle tone.
"Enough," I reply, my voice barely above a whisper as I turn to walk away.
Heidi follows me, trying to keep up with my hurried strides. "Scar, I didn't know. I'm so sorry," she says, out of breath, her voice tinged with guilt.
I pick up the pace, running toward the breakroom to unlock my locker and grab my purse. Heidi pleads with me, "Scar, please," but I don't stop.
As I slam the locker shut, tears blur my vision, and I look at Heidi, my voice shaking. "She doesn’t need to fire me. I quit.”
"I know that," she assures me with a sad smile.
"I never thought she would stoop that low," I say, the pain and confusion evident in my voice.
"She’s a manipulative bitch, even back in high school.” Heidi says, her voice tinged with bitterness. "I am so sorry, Scar. Please believe me when I say that you are so talented. I love your work and hope you can show it to the world in your own gallery someday," Heidi says, trying to console me.
I nod, grateful for her kind words. "Thanks, Heidi."
With that, I sprint as fast as my legs can carry me and don’t look back.
FORTY-TWO
MAVERICK
I'm sitting in my car across the street from the gallery, waiting for Scar when her shift ends. God, did I miss her. I didn't realize how much it was until I held her. And the fact that she didn't fight me had me wanting to weep like a baby. Feeling the curves of her hips to her ass and how good she felt sitting on my lap. Scar's not a little girl anymore.
She's all woman.
My phone alerts me to one text message after another. I grab it, read the text, and groan in annoyance.
Skylar
I miss you.
When do you think you’ll be back in LA? I was hoping we could have dinner at my place.
When is she going to get it in her thick skull that we’re not a fucking couple?
Skylar
Stop ignoring me, Mav.
I am ready to tell her to fuck off when I notice Mallory closing the gallery. Tucking my phone in my pocket, I jump out of my seat and jog toward the glass door. When Mallory sees me, her body stiffens. She unlocks the door and motions for me to enter. She moves to the side to let me through. Once I'm inside, she shuts and locks the door.
I glance around, looking for any signs of my Tinkerbelle, but it's deadly quiet.
"Where's Scar?" I ask.
"She...um...she left early," she stammers, her eyes shifting nervously.
"Why?" I press, trying to keep my tone as calm as possible.
"She quit," she replies, her voice faltering slightly. Her tone sends shivers down my spine, leaving me feeling unsettled. I can't help but feel like something is wrong. I take a step closer to her, my eyes narrowing.
