AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There’s nothing I can say or do, I just stand, stunned, my future crumbling down around me. I hear myself telling Amber I’d marry him someday, and the memory tastes sour. I feel so stupid.
A single tear slides down my cheek as my heart breaks like a bowling ball under the force of a hydraulic press.
Walker's hands are steady and warm as he reaches out, brushing the tear away with a tenderness that catches me off guard. “What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice low and full of concern.
I can barely speak, the hurt wrapping around my throat like a vice. “It's...nothing.” The lie tastes bitter on my tongue as my eyes dart away, unable to meet his probing gaze. With my luck and his ability to read people, he’ll know what happened the second I meet his glance.
“This doesn't look like nothing,” he says gently, his touch lingering against my skin, stirring something inside me that has no right to be here right now.
The video loops, playing the scene over again, a cruel reminder of the love I thought I had. I need to go, need to deal with this so I can regain some sense of control over my life. Chase has some things to answer for, and I’m not about to let him keep making a fool of me. I’ve been loyal to him, and I’d never cheat. I lower my head, feeling exposed and raw.
“Hey,” Walker says, tilting my chin up to face him. “Whatever you’re dealing with, if I can help, I will.”
His words, meant to comfort me, only confuse me further. Here stands a man whose reputation precedes him—a man who talks with his fists, fires people for insulting him, and is an ex-gang member who has likely seen much worse than a girl whose boyfriend cheated on her—offering me solace. And yet, despite our differences, I feel a connection to him, an undeniable pull that's unexpected and unwelcome right now.
“Thank you, Walker,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel on my feet right now. “But I just need...I don’t know. I need to think.”
“Take all the time you need.” His hand retreats but leaves a trail of warmth that lingers on my skin, helping soothe away a little bit of the hurt in a way I'm not sure I'm ready to explore.
“About the money...” I say, but he holds up a hand to stop me.
“We can talk about that later.” I can see the worry in his eyes. “Right now, you should focus on yourself.”
I nod. “I think I’m going to need some time off.”
“I’ll cover you. Go take care of things.”
As he steps away, giving me space yet remaining close enough to offer support, I realize that maybe, just maybe, Walker isn't the bad boy everyone makes him out to be. Maybe, underneath the billionaire bravado, there's a heart capable of kindness—a heart that could understand the tangled mess of mine.
Chapter Eleven
Walker
She stands there with her face drained of color, looking ashen, fragile somehow. My heart clenches. Gone is the anticipation high I’d been riding as I planned asking her today to celebrate the bonus she’d received for her brilliant ideas. That anticipation has been replaced by a knot of concern tightening my gut.
She’s still staring down at her phone as if she can’t tear her attention away from whatever’s on the screen. Tears sparkle in her eyes and the device trembles in her hand. She’s still frozen in place and the phone slips through her hand, quickly halted by her fast reflexes just in time to save it from crashing to the floor.
I want to step toward her again, to ask if she’s okay, even though I know she’s not. I don’t like this helpless feeling. Knowing that she’s suffering and I can’t help is a new kind of torture. But I know how to deal with feelings like those – I’ll be looking for a fight tonight.
She looks up, her eyes bright with tears and pain. “I’m going to go now.” The words are short, clipped, and devoid of any emotion.
“Can I help?” My offer hangs there, suspended in the charged air between us, but she shakes her head. I understand; agony is private. But that doesn’t make me feel better about any of the situation.
That helplessness wraps around me suffocatingly tight.
She shakes her head and makes her unsteady way to the door. I don’t like the thought of her leaving or driving in her condition, but she’s an adult. She told me she doesn’t need help, I’m not going to force my way in. Instead, I find myself hoping that she can fix whatever’s been broken in her life… or at least come to terms with it.
The image of her fighting back tears fills my mind, just like her brave face that didn’t hide her vulnerability. It took all my self-control not to reach out and pull her into my arms, to tell her things would be alright.
She has my number, and I know she’ll keep me updated when possible.
She leaves behind a silence that roars louder than any power engine in a luxury car. As I look after her, I'm left with a hollow echo of what I thought today would look like and the reality of what it has become.
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to focus on anything but the empty space where Isla just stood.
“Damn,” Vice says, rubbing the back of his neck as he eyes me. “What just happened?”
Even though there’s not even a hint of an accusation in his tone, I feel attacked, as if he thinks I hurt her and ran her off. I run a hand through my hair, frustration and worry mingling. “She got bad news and had to go, I don't know what about.”
