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My eyes are trained on his, but he turns his head away and looks in Thane’s direction. And even when he answers me, his focus remains solely on his uncle.
“You heard me, Grecia. Leave.”
CHAPTER 18
GRECIA
I know when I’m not wanted.
Thane follows me into the hallway just outside the kitchen.
“I’ll have my driver take you to the airfield,” he tells me. “I believe Tarian has arranged for the Sovereign plane to be on constant standby. I’m guessing he thought there might be the need for at least one of you to make a quick getaway.”
I don’t turn to him. I can’t bring myself to look at the asshole.
“Thanks,” I respond before heading up to the guest bedroom I was given to use.
I quickly pack my overnight bag and make my way back downstairs. Thankfully, the rest of my belongings are still on board the plane. The flight to Tynewood will take a couple of hours, which will give me some time to think before I arrive back home and have to face that shit show.
Tarian’s standing in the kitchen where I left him.
“Why do you have to be such a bastard, Tarian Calvert?”
My voice is drenched in the pain that’s piercing my chest. I can feel the agony of my heart breaking. I’m sick of feeling wretched when it comes to him.
“I was born into?—”
“Fuck that excuse, Tarian.” This time, I’m in his face as I speak. I’m done listening to his excuses. They don’t fly with me anymore. “You know what, I think you enjoy it. I think you like being cold and standoffish. You don’t want people to come near you. That’s who you are,” I tell him, but I don’t wait for him to interrupt me, because he needs to hear this. “Over the last few months, you’ve repeatedly said you don’t want to be like Thane. But guess what, Tarian, you’re exactly like him.”
“Like fuck I am.”
“Aren’t you? Take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror, Tarian. Ask yourself if there’s anything you’ve done recently that doesn’t make you like him.”
He doesn’t respond. His eyes glower with animosity and anger, but I no longer give a shit. I’m done pandering to his sensibilities. Treading carefully around him isn’t working, so I’m hoping this reality check will kick his ass into gear. If it doesn’t work, I doubt anything else will.
“Get the fuck out,” he grits through clenched teeth.
His body is vibrating with barely contained rage. I know he won’t strike me, but there’s every chance he’ll punch the wall we’re standing beside. As much as this man has hurt me, I can’t bear to see him in pain. That’s how fucking pathetic I am when it comes to Tarian Calvert.
Shaking my head, I turn and make my way to the front door. I hear his soft footsteps following behind me, and I’m sure he’s going to stop me, but the moment I’m over the threshold, he slams the door shut behind me without another word.
I can’t stop the tears falling. There have been so many times over the years when I’ve thought about what it would be like to be with Tarian. I’ve seen the other girls come and go, so I know he can be heartless, but even though we’ve only just started being intimate, I thought he would have treasured our connection more than this.
I’ve been wary of starting a relationship with Tarian. A part of me, deep inside, knew he’d hurt me, but the moment his lips touched mine, I no longer cared. He is broken, lost, and angry, but when we were together last night, something inside him shifted. The ever-present rage turned to unadulterated lust, pure and feral, and then for a brief moment, it calmed, and a gentler more affectionate Tarian was revealed.
But now the rage is back, full force.
As I step outside, I see the car we arrived in waiting for me. I slip into the rear bench seat, and as the vehicle heads down the driveway, I say a silent, final goodbye to the man who’s been the subject of all my secret fantasies for so many years.
Since I was fifteen, I knew he was the one boy who could crush me. Not because he knew how I felt, and not even because I thought he felt the same, but because Tarian Calvert stole my teenage heart, and he’s never given it back. And even though he’s left it in tatters, he still holds the pieces.
I know I can never go back to Tarian. I won’t allow him to hurt me ever again. It will take time for me to get over him, but I can do it. I’m far stronger than he thinks.
Tynewood doesn’t seem to have changed since I left.
I can’t help but feel nostalgia for the last few months I’ve spent in the sun with Tarian. It was a welcome escape, and one that was needed after all that had happened at home.
Maybe I should book a flight to some exotic destination and run away again, but this time I won’t come back. I know there’s no chance for me and Tarian. Not after what he’s done. He didn’t cheat, but he still managed to break my heart by believing Thane’s lies. He never once considered I might be telling the truth.
