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Her lips are on mine, her tongue seeking access to my mouth.
I shove her away, my hand swiping at my lips.
“What is wrong with you?”
“You loved me once,” she says, her lips curled up in a snarl. “You can love me again.”
“I want nothing to do with you. Cory can have you for all I care. I want you to take your money and then I never want to see your face again.”
“Cory is no longer an issue,” she says, irritation in her voice.
“Let me guess, the second he was off the IR list, he dropped you?”
She looks away, refusing to acknowledge the truth.
“He was cheating on me. I went to surprise him at his away game, and he had another woman in his hotel room.”
“That’s surprising,” I mutter as I take a step forward and press the elevator recall button. “Can we go upstairs and sign the paperwork?”
“You haven’t increased the offer,” she snaps.
“And I’m not going to. After today, I’m dropping it down to two. And next month, it’ll go down to one and a half. Time is literally money right now, and your payday is drying up.”
I leave her standing in the underground parking garage, a look of disbelief on her face.
I hate the position she’s put me in. I would much rather prefer a woman who I could co-parent with than what I have, but I can’t let her have even partial custody of the boys. They aren’t safe with her. I don’t think she’d intentionally hurt them, but she’s already proven she’s selfish and neglect can hurt kids just as much as outward physical harm.
I just want to put an end to this entire situation. If I never have to step foot on Detroit soil again, I could die a happy man.
Chapter 34
Madison
Just when I thought he couldn’t hurt me any more than he already had, I find out that I was wrong.
I don’t know why I’m staring at the pictures posted online. I hate that I even searched his name before climbing out of bed this morning.
I shouldn’t be surprised. A lot of couples break up, sow a few wild oats then get back together, right?
It shouldn’t surprise me that Emily and Chase were photographed in a lip-lock. I recognize the underground parking area as the one in Detroit we used when he had his appointment with his divorce attorney.
The headlines scream about a reconciliation, but it’s the part debating whether he’ll stay in the city or bring Emily back to his small hometown that grabs most of my attention.
He told me he lied about us dating because his attorney urged him to do it, that he’d be seen as more stable if he was in a relationship. I have no doubt that was just another lie. He wanted to make her jealous. Emily showed up with her boyfriend, and Chase needed to one-up the man who betrayed him.
I was played. He used me to make her jealous not twenty-four hours after hiring me. I wouldn’t be surprised at this point if he hired me just to use me in front of her.
As much as I’d like to, however, I can’t blame him because I fell for it. It was my own hungry heart’s fault for falling into his trap. I got tangled too quickly. I let a little affection, kind touches, and tenderness convince me that what we shared was more than a little fun. It clearly meant nothing to him.
I was an itch to scratch. A payback because he couldn’t just take her back without having a little something on the side to even the score.
I feel as used now looking at the picture of them kissing as I did when he marked my skin with his cum. I feel degraded and humiliated, despite sitting alone in my car right now. My skin itches with the need for a shower, but I’ve stood under the flow of water numerous times now and I never feel cleaner.
I can’t stay in this town. I can’t face the people who I’ve known my entire life. Chase could’ve easily picked anyone else. He could’ve gone to the bar and flirted with an out-of-town guest. There’s no reason he should’ve singled me out, the girl who has lived next door to his parents her entire life.
This is worse than him simply forgetting about a dance. My face and my voice were last week’s news, and the article celebrating the happy couple’s reconciliation mentions me again, questioning whether I’ll fade quietly into the background or if I’m going to try and cause problems with the happy couple.
I’ve recently reacquainted myself with Adalynn after losing touch for a while, but I can’t even stay for her. She can come visit me wherever I end up. My parents will have to travel to me for holidays because there will be no living this down. I don’t know why I thought I might be able to stay after that vlogger heard me whispering my sexcapades with Chase in the bakery.
