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“I did, I guess. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter anymore. He lied to me, betrayed me, tricked me into marrying him when we could have waited. And you know what his reasoning was?”
She shakes her head.
“Because he thought there was something real between us, and that I would fall in love with him too.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh.”
“I know how ironic it sounds. But does that sound healthy to you? Is that how you start a real relationship with someone? What hurts the most is that he knew my ex was manipulative and abusive, and he still lied to me.”
Her eyes close. “Jane, I’m so sorry.”
“I literally had to escape from my old life. My ex was keeping me captive. Then one day, I finally managed to get out and start fresh, and now it happens again? I can’t believe he’d do this to me.”
My fury boils back up, and I see red. Him knowing about Zander and my past is the worst part of this whole fiasco. Maybe someone else could forgive the man she loves and laugh about it, but I can’t. What he did hit too close to home.
Colton
It’s been forty-eight hours since I last saw Jane. Forty-eight hours since she gave me that look, the one that’s been haunting my every waking minute. A mix of hurt, anger, and betrayal. I know I ruined everything. Why didn’t I just tell her about the deal? We could have called off the wedding, started dating. We could be happy now. But I didn’t. Because I thought she didn’t love me. Because I thought she wasn’t ready.
She’s right, in a way. I did try to possess her. I’m like a teenager seized by an overflow of emotions. All of this is new to me. Here I am, twenty-eight years old, and I’ve never been in love. Now that it’s finally happened, I ruined it because I’m such an amateur.
Rolling onto my back, I draw my fingers through my hair. I’ve been in bed for two days straight, which is another first for me. I only got up to ask Agnes to send gifts over to Marcie’s place for Jane. I sent a meal from the truffle restaurant we went to, a box of chocolates spelling “I’m sorry,” and a bunch of toys for Truffles.
I’m hoping that last one will open her eyes to how much I love her.
My phone chimes, making my heart leap. I grab it from the bedside table and glance at the screen. I don’t even have to open the text to see what it says. It’s so short it fits in the preview box.
Jane: Stop sending me gifts.
My heart thumps loudly. I open the message app, trying to figure out what I could say to her so she would talk to me. But I’m no poet, and the only dumb thing my brain puts together is a lame, “I’m sorry, Jane. Please, can we talk?”
The text is marked “read” seconds after I send it, but she doesn’t reply. I’m not even graced with the three little dots telling me she’s writing a response.
I cradle my head in my hands. Today, I have to go back to work. I’ll be forced to pretend everything is fine, even though my world has flipped upside down. Even though all I want is to stay under the covers and cry, because that’s the only thing that seems to make me feel better. But I have to start acting like Colton Green again. Not this moody teenager who can’t handle rejection. Rejection has been part of my life since day one. I can handle it. At least, that’s what I repeat to myself over and over as I drag myself out of bed and get ready for work.
“You look like hell,” Max says, waggling his eyebrows. “Sleepless nights?”
“Yeah, something like that,” I mumble, sinking into the chair behind my desk. I hate when Max is waiting in my office before I even arrive. Usually, that means we’re swamped with work. And I can’t handle it today.
“So, how’s life as a newlywed treating you?” he asks with a bright smile. “I guess you have me to thank, in a way. It all worked out in the end.” With a wink, he starts retrieving folders from his briefcase.
I fly to my feet, slamming both hands on my desk and making it shake. “No, Max. I don’t have you to thank. You ruined my life! This whole thing was a mistake. Now, it’s all over. Jane won’t even talk to me. I lost everything. All because of a stupid deal and a stupid idea.”
Max’s eyes widen, and his jaw drops open. “But—” Then, realization seems to hit him. “She didn’t know before . . . Oh. I see. But the contract still stands either way. She can’t ignore you forever. Or maybe we could—”
“We’re not doing anything,” I roar, sitting back down. “In fact, I’m retracting from the Middle East contract. I still can, right?”
“Colton, I don’t think—”
“Can I, Max? I’m asking a simple question.” I’m so furious, I actually see Max with a red shadow around him.
“Y-yes. Technically, you can. Ten days haven’t passed yet. But—”
“Do it. I don’t want this expansion anymore.” It would only ever remind me of what I lost to achieve it.
“Colton—”
“Max, just do your freaking job, please. I don’t have the energy today. Cancel everything. It’s over.”
