Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
I would normally wait until he was finished for the day before I left, but I wasn’t going to sit around when he didn’t even want me there. I could have found something else to work on, but I didn’t want to be in his presence any more than he wanted to be in mine. I grabbed my purse and coat and prepared to leave.
He left his office and walked out in his hoodie and jeans, his satchel over his shoulder.
Ugh, bad timing.
He didn’t walk right past like I assumed he would. He stopped in front of my desk and looked at me.
I came around the desk and stepped into the lobby. But instead of giving him my full attention like he silently commanded, I just walked off to the elevator.
“Sicily.” He didn’t come after me. He stood his ground and waited in the lobby.
I should have just walked away because he didn’t deserve my attention, but even at my angriest, I couldn’t just ignore him. I turned back around and walked up to him, staring him down furiously, expecting an apology to fly out of his mouth before anything else did.
He stared at me for a while before he spoke. “I’m sorry.”
“Better be.” I gripped the strap of my bag, still fuming on the inside.
“You didn’t deserve to be treated that way, regardless of my problems, and I am sorry.”
I inhaled a deep breath and felt the anger evaporate from my lungs. “I accept your apology.” He wasn’t stubborn like most men, and if he was wrong, he wasn’t afraid to say it. That was one of the things I loved about him, and even at his worst, I still loved him.
“And I’m also sorry for this…” He dropped his gaze for a moment, chewing the inside of his cheek as he found his next words. There was a long pause, one that lasted an eternity, before he met my look again. “I don’t want to see you anymore.” His throat shifted slightly, an audible swallow filling the quiet lobby.
I heard what he said, but that didn’t mean I understood it. “What?” I blurted it out, not following his train of thought.
“I never should have kissed you. I never should have pursued this relationship. I knew I wasn’t ready, but I did it anyway because I was selfish and couldn’t control myself. I take full responsibility for it. It’s entirely my fault, and I’m sorry for that. Really, I am.”
My eyes narrowed when I realized what was happening. “You’re dumping me?”
“No,” he said quickly. “I’m not dumping you—”
“You fucked me all weekend, and now you’re just done?” I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe Dex would do something like this. “Wow…okay.”
“That’s not what happened—”
“That’s exactly what happened. You got your fix, fucked your hot assistant, and now you’re good to go. Now you’re back to finding the next hot piece of ass—”
“That’s not what happened.” This time, he yelled so I would stop talking. “That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?” I crossed my arms over my chest, my eyes dry because I was too furious to be devastated. It was all happening so fast, all hitting me with no anticipation. “What did I do? You said it’s not me, but it obviously is if you’re dropping me like I mean nothing to you.”
“It’s not you,” he repeated. “It’s me. It’s always been me—”
“Fuck you, Dex.” I turned around and marched off.
He came after me. “Sicily.”
I turned back around. “Why? Tell me why.” My eyes started to fill with tears because the pain hit me the second I turned away from him, the second I couldn’t see his face anymore.
He inhaled a deep breath, his jaw tightening. “She’s getting remarried…”
It took me a second to catch up with him, to figure out he was talking about his ex-wife.
“We’ve been divorced for a year, and she’s already getting married.” His voice changed, catching slightly, like this news was as devastating as his initial divorce was. “I just… I don’t have much faith—”
I lost it. “Dex, she’s a fucking bitch. Plain and simple. She didn’t deserve you, not then and not now. And she sure as hell doesn’t deserve to have this power over you, to affect your new relationship when she’s not in your life anymore. I’m sorry that her indifference is so harsh, but now it’s your turn to be harsh. Forget her. She was a big fucking mistake, a big waste of your time, but I’m not.” I pushed both of my palms against my chest. “I’m not a mistake, Dex. I care about you more than she ever did. I would take a bullet for you. I would never, ever hurt you.”
“I know you wouldn’t—”
“Then don’t do this. We agreed to take it slow—let’s continue to do that.”