Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“I told him this was his final warning. If he does it again, then I’ll have to.”
“You’d go to war for this woman?”
Without hesitation. “Yes.”
“You said it wasn’t serious.”
“I’m not a fan of an asshole forcing a woman to do something she doesn’t want to do.”
Cauldron released an abrupt laugh mixed with a scoff. “That’s rich.”
“I never made Camille do anything she didn’t want to do—”
“Like walk out the door?” he asked incredulously. “Live her own life?”
Distance and time had given me perspective, and now I felt shame for what I’d done. “Not the same thing. This asshole wants to treat Elise like a goddamn sex slave. And don’t act like you’re much better than me. She tried to leave, and you wouldn’t let her. So fuck off.”
Cauldron’s eyes gave a subtle shift, like he’d forgotten about all of that. He reached for the glass and took a drink. “Tastes like piss.”
A long stretch of silence ensued.
Since Cauldron hadn’t told me he’d dumped Camille, I had to pretend I had no clue. So I couldn’t address the elephant in the room, the elephant written all over his empty face. “Is Camille with you?”
“No.”
I waited for more, but nothing came.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you care about Elise.”
“I do care about her.”
“How long is this arrangement supposed to last?”
“No expiration date. I’m paying for a service, and I’ll get that service until I stop paying.”
He took another drink of his water. “I’m jealous, man.” He released a light chuckle. “No commitments. No strings attached. No baby talk. Fuck, you’re a lucky son of a bitch.”
“Am I?”
“No I love you bullshit. Just fucking.” He kept going as if he hadn’t heard me. “She already has kids, so it’s not like she needs you for that. No serious conversations. No future. Just living in the moment.” It was a drunken rant, his bloodshot eyes dry like he hadn’t slept in days. His driver must have dropped him off because he would have crashed into a building if he’d been behind the wheel. “Never thought I’d be jealous of you…but I am.”
“Cauldron?”
He’d been looking elsewhere during his ramble, so he turned his focus back to me.
“Something happen with Camille?”
He shook his head then rubbed his palm across the scruff of his face. He released a loud sigh like he was exhausted by the conversation. “We’re done.”
He was so drunk, I didn’t have to pretend to be surprised. “You don’t look happy about that.”
“I was never happy in the first place. She rushed me into shit I wasn’t ready for. Made me a fool for thinking I could ever be more than what I am. Tried to turn me into someone I don’t recognize. It was doomed from the beginning, and we’re fucking idiots for thinking otherwise.” He drank the water again, and when it was empty, he tossed the glass back on the table, where it cracked into a couple pieces.
“What triggered this?” I asked. “Because you did seem happy.”
“Now you’re hung up on Elise, so I guess Camille’s just not that interesting anymore.” He sank back into the chair, his skin a little gray, like he was on death’s doorstep.
I wondered if I should take him to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. “I don’t think that’s what happened.”
He stared elsewhere, as if he didn’t hear what I said. “It was the thrill of revenge. The thrill of getting back at you. That’s what made the sex good. Knowing I had her and you wanted her…but that’s over now.” His body folded with weak posture, looking like an old man who had shriveled into the couch in front of the television. “It’s over now…”
I felt no victory, not when he looked half dead as he spoke those insincere words. I’d thought Camille was battered beyond repair, but Cauldron looked far worse than she did. He looked so empty that he could pass away in his sleep just from the sorrow. “Cauldron, it’s not too late to make things right. I know you don’t want to become the very thing you hate—our father. I know you’re scared to change your life. But your life has already changed, and running from it won’t fix anything.”
Cauldron’s eyes were closed.
“Cauldron?”
He was out cold.
7
CAMILLE
Finding an apartment in the city was a lot harder than I thought it’d be. Must be because of the holidays. Christmas was in two days, and not a lot of people were moving at this time. The only things available were apartments to buy, not rent, and they were unaffordable. I scrolled through the options on my laptop when Grave entered the dining room.
Without saying a word, he took a seat and waited for his food to be brought to him. It was lunchtime, so it was usually grilled chicken on a bed of rice with a ton of veggies. Thankfully, I was brought something more appealing, like a soup and salad.