AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t be a wuss. Why are you scared of him?”
“I’m not scared of him. I just value my life.”
I roll my eyes. “Honestly, all of you seem to be my friends until he tells you to back off.”
“Hey! I refuse to take part in any fight. Especially a nonsensical one like this.”
“Nonsensical?”
“Come on, Ava. Everyone knows you love him.”
“I donot.”
“You surely look at him like you do.”
“You mean as if Ihatehim?”
“There’s a fine line between love and hate, and you’ve been teetering it for a long time.”
“You’re talking nonsense.”
“And you’re still in denial. But anyway, bugger off before he comes back. He’s graced us with his tiresome presence today and is hell-bent on turning everyone into insufferable workaholics like himself. I don’t need to give him incentive to up the wanker behavior a notch.”
“You’re just jealous because he has a better position than you even though you only have to work for one company.”
“If you want us to believe you don’t love him, you might want to tone down the protectiveness.”
I raise my hand to pinch him when the door nearly flies off its hinges.
My husband stands there, his glare seeping into me so deeply, I struggle to breathe.
He looks at me with renewed intensity.
Nefarious intent.
My own God of War.
23
ELI
I’ve always been a creature of control.
Emotions, mild or strong, are a nonnegotiable sign of weakness.
I never lose my cool or let feelings cloud my judgment or, worse, interfere with my decisions.
Sangfroid isn’t only a way of life, but also the method Dad and Grandpa implemented in me from a young age.
They said the moment I allow any form of emotion to take over, it’s too late.
In my twenty-nine years of life, I’ve been the epitome of detachment and the personification of pretend indulgence. I’ve never liked anything too much or too little. Never succumbed to impulsiveness or addictions. Never wanted anything and didn’t get it.
Never lost my cool.
Started a fight or punched someone. If a person crosses me, they get eliminated swiftly and silently.
Dirtying my hands is out of the question.
