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She was still on the armchair, her eyes wet and reflecting the firelight.
“I’m obviously an idiot because I only fall for the wrong women. My first wife burned my life to the ground, but I think you’re a bigger mistake because I should have known better by now.” I lit the match and poured gasoline on the fire. Even though she was on the verge of sobs, I kept going. “I deserve better than this. I deserve better thanyou.”
That last statement broke her, and the sheen in her eyes deepened into tears. Her bottom lip quivered as the sobs tried to break out of her chest. She reached for her purse, and with her head down, she rushed past me and out the door.
I let her go. I let her walk out of my life—for the last time.
Theo emptied his glass with a final sip before he returned it to the table. “You must feel better if you’re out of the house.”
We sat together in a quiet bar, most of the patrons gone for the night. The bar was supposed to be closed, but they kept it open for us. Nothing good happened at two a.m.—and truer words had never been spoken. “I saw my lawyer today. Filed for divorce.”
Theo’s eyes widened at the statement. His reactions were always muted and subtle, but this elicited a visceral response. “I thought you were going to talk to Dante.”
“I did.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket, opened the file, and then pressed play. Our voices sounded in the quiet bar, the two of us talking in his parlor as I implored him to grow a pair of balls and man up to his mistakes. The recording was about ten minutes long, and once Theo got the gist of the conversation, I stopped it.
Theo picked up his cigar and stared at me. “Is there a reason you haven’t played that for Scarlett?”
“I shouldn’t have to.” I returned the phone to my pocket. Scarlett hadn’t texted me since she’d left my home the other day, not that I expected her to. She could have been in my bed that night, her soft thighs around my hips, but I was done.
“It’s her father?—”
“If she opened her fucking eyes, she would know it’s true just based on the other shit he does.” He walked all over her like a damn doormat, and she tolerated it. “She came to my place the other night and said she wanted to work on things.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It’s not when she prefaces it by telling me that her father encouraged her to do it.”
Theo gave a slight nod in understanding. “He’s trying to get around it.”
“Coward.”
“At least he feels guilty enough to try. Maybe he’s not as much of a psychopath as I thought.”
“He’s not a psychopath,” I said. “He’s evil—that’s what the fuck he is.” I brought the cigar to my lips and let the smoke flood my mouth. It was licorice, my least favorite flavor.
“Maybe you should sleep on this?—”
“I have slept on it. I’m done.” I released the smoke from my mouth. “I’ve only loved two women—and they were both mistakes.”
“I don’t think it’s fair to compare Scarlett to that bitch.”
“She’s a mistake, nonetheless.”
“Scarlett didn’t lie to take your money and get you thrown in jail. She didn’t destroy your relationship with your parents. It’s fine to be upset, but the comparison is not only inaccurate, but insulting to Scarlett.”
“Didn’t realize you liked Scarlett so much.”
He shrugged. “She’s a victim in an abusive relationship—and she doesn’t even realize it. Simple as that.” He brought the cigar to his mouth and sank back in his chair. “I agree that you’ve earned her trust, but people are complicated.”
“It’s not that complicated.”
He pulled the cigar away and let the smoke release. “I can tell you’ve made up your mind, so I’ll leave it be.”
“Good,” I said. “Because I haven’t felt this good in weeks.”
Chapter 9
Scarlett
