Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 129207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
His chest rises and falls, and he stares at me like a deer in headlights. “Rae,” he breathes, starting to get to his feet, but it’s too fucking late, I’ve seen more than enough. I turn on my heel and make a break for it. Sprinting out of the studio, I catch Dylan out of the corner of my eye.
“FUCK! Rae,” Dylan calls out after me.
I hear the telltale sounds of someone chasing after me, but I don’t dare look back as I break free from the studio and fly up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
What a fucking joke.
I should have known better.
Tears begin streaking down my face as I reach the front door, and before I know it, I’m hurrying down the stairs and toward the back door of the limo I only just stepped out of. It’s almost comical how confident I felt when I first walked up to that damn door. I thought my life was about to change. I thought I could actually make something of myself. Yet Ezra Knight is always right there to knock me back down.
A strong hand curls around my elbow, yanking me back, and I fall into a chest that’s somehow so familiar and yet completely unfamiliar at the same time. “Don’t you fucking run from me,” Ezra growls, not daring to release his grasp on my elbow. I have no choice but to shove my hands against his chest just to put a shred of space between us.
“Let go of me,” I demand, spitting the words through a clenched jaw.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Ask your fucking label,” I growl, not owing him any kind of explanation. “They’re the ones coming up with the bullshit lies to get me here.”
“What are you talking about?”
I yank my arm free and back up a step, hating how every piece of me crumbles under his stare. All I can do is scoff with disgust, noticing how he’s too fucking strung out to stand straight. “Look at you,” I say, shaking my head as I truly take him in. Remnants of the powder linger on his nose, and his cheeks look hollowed out as though he’s not eating properly. His eyes used to be so full of life, but now . . . They’re so empty now. “I thought I was the joke.”
“Rae, I . . . I didn’t know you were going to be here. Otherwise, I never would have—”
“Never would have what?” I challenge, backing up even more as I notice Lenny, Rock, and Dylan at the top of the stairs, hastily making their way toward us. “Turned into a man that not even you recognize anymore?”
“That’s not fair,” he demands as his chains move around on his exposed chest, all but demanding the attention I won’t give. “I lost everything.”
“AND I DIDN’T?” I throw back at him, hating how my traitorous body urges me to wrap my arms around him and hold him until all the pain is gone, but I don’t dare. He’s not mine anymore, and despite the way my soul so easily recognizes its other half right here in front of me, I focus on the hurt, more determined than ever to hate him.
“Woah, okay,” Lenny says as Dylan subtly moves between me and Ezra before taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Raleigh, I’m sorry. Why don’t you come inside, and we can talk everything through?”
“You’re kidding, right?” I say to the man who I should have known better than to trust. “You lied to me. You told me there was an opportunity here for me, one that could change everything for me, and you used Axel’s name to do it. So no, I’m not—”
“You did what?” Ezra demands, turning on Lenny.
“Get him out of here,” Lenny says to Rock before turning back to Ezra. “I’ll deal with you later. In the meantime, it’s in your best interest to sober up.”
Rock hesitantly steps into Ezra, grabbing his arm and pulling him away, but he fights it with every step, his broken gaze locked on mine, and the way he stares at me, it’s as though he’s looking at a ghost—someone he thought he was never going to see again.
Left with Dylan and Lenny, I focus my attention on them, not even knowing where to start, but damn it, I have a lot to say. “Just . . . hear us out,” Dylan says, cutting me off before I get a chance to let loose on them both. “Yes, lying to get you here was a shitty thing to do, and I take full responsibility for that. But Ezra . . . He’s drowning Rae.”
I shake my head. “He left me behind eight years ago and never looked back. He’s not my problem anymore.”