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“I meant to.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I tried to several times and every time something interrupted us and I just…never got back to it.”
He didn’t want to admit, even to himself, why he hadn’t told. He’d been afraid that she would have this exact reaction—that he would lose her trust…and her love.
“Please, lelka—just listen to me—” he began.
“No.” Abbey put up a hand to stop him. “No, I’m through listening—at least for now.”
“What do you mean?” A chill of apprehension ran through his whole body.
“I mean…I need some time alone. Some time to think,” Abbey told him. “I think we should take a break for a little while.”
“A break? What does that mean? For how long?” he demanded.
“I don’t know. A week? A month?” She shook her head. “I just need to be on my own for a while.”
“Is this because of what I did tonight? Because I punished your attacker?” Solon asked desperately.
Abbey took a deep breath and he could see several emotions warring in her lovely face.
“That’s part of it,” she admitted at last. “Please don’t misunderstand—I’m grateful that Chris Brander finally got what was coming to him. I used to lie in my bed at night and dream of doing what you did to him—or something like it. But now the whole town knows…knows what he did to me. I have to wait on these people in my aunt’s shop every day! And now they’re all going to be looking at me and thinking about…about what he did!”
She took a deep, trembling breath and Solon realized she was trying not to cry again. He wanted badly to take her in his arms and comfort her but he understood instinctively that she didn’t want him touching her at the moment.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a low, ragged voice. “I shouldn’t have punished him so publicly. But when he admitted what he had done to you, the Rage swept over me and all I could think of was making him pay.”
“Well, you certainly did that.” She gave a broken little laugh that tore at his heart. “He’ll pee sitting down the rest of his life.”
“He’s lucky I didn’t kill him,” Solon growled. “It was what he deserved.”
“I agree,” Abbey said simply. “But I can’t get over this all at once—or the fact that you lied to me about the exemption.” She shook the official document at him and the paper rattled.
“All right.” Solon took a deep breath. His heart was hurting—but so was his pride. “So you want me to leave you alone? Where should I go—back to the Monstrum Mother Ship?”
“I don’t care where you go,” Abbey swiped at her eyes but her voice was flat. “Just let me have some time to think, all right?”
“Fine. You can have as much time as you want,” Solon growled. “But let me remind you that you told me several times how happy you were the exemption didn’t go through when we were on Tengula Five together.”
“But it did go through and you lied to me about it,” she pointed out. “Look, Solon, I just…I can’t right now. I need some time.”
“Then you’ll have it. I’m leaving.” His desperation had turned to anger. Yes, he had cheated the system but it was only because he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt they belonged together! Why couldn’t she see that?
“Fine.” Abbey’s voice had gone cold. She twisted the engagement ring he’d given her from her finger and held it out. “Then you’d better take this with you.”
Solon felt sick with anger and grief. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go! They should be planning their wedding ceremony and Bonding right now—not ending their relationship! But he took the ring from her anyway.
“All right,” he said stiffly, slipping the ring into his pocket. “I’ll keep it in case you change your mind. But for now, I assume that our time together is over.”
“Completely over.” Her voice was flat again. “Goodbye, Solon. Have a nice life.”
Her words cut him like a blade and he couldn’t even answer. Instead, he turned and left her room, feeling sick with anger and grief inside. Was this it? Was their relationship really over?
It seemed that it was and there was nothing Solon could do about it but leave and never come back.
39
ABBEY
The next few weeks were pure agony for Abbey. She cried herself to sleep every night and dreaded every day. She forced herself to go to work at Rose’s Roses but every time the door chime tinkled she flinched, knowing that whoever the customer was, they had surely heard about what Chris Brander had done to her.
