Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65116 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65116 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Silence passed, and it seemed like she might say yes. There was no venom in her eyes, not like before. But then she pulled her fingers away and dropped her gaze. “No.”
My hand went cold.
“It wasn’t a sham, Maverick. It was real. And you slept with someone else.” She took a deep breath to still the tears that built up behind her eyes. “I told you I loved you…and you didn’t say it back. As if that wasn’t hard enough… But then you went and did that…” When she couldn’t fight the emotion anymore, the tears escaped.
And I felt like shit.
Every time I saw her cry, it made me feel terrible. But never as terrible as this.
“My answer is no,” she whispered through her tears. “I’ve listened to you say your piece. Now please leave me alone.”
“Sheep—”
“Don’t call me that again.” Her eyes darted up, her tears mixing with her anger. “You were supposed to protect me—but you didn’t protect me from yourself. You’re not my wolf, and I’m not your sheep… Not anymore.”
7
Arwen
I couldn’t lie. When he made the offer, I was tempted to take it.
Because I still loved that man.
Despite what he did, I couldn’t shut down my heart and turn off my feelings. I couldn’t pretend that the sight of his wedding ring didn’t mean something to me. I couldn’t pretend that growing old with him wasn’t something I still wanted.
But I found the strength to say no.
He didn’t deserve me.
He didn’t love me.
Brandon became the man in my life. He was in my bed most of the week, but we weren’t anything serious. He was just the man I used to stop thinking about the man I actually wanted.
Brandon didn’t mind since he was getting laid.
I spent my time working my two different jobs. It started to feel routine, balancing two different occupations to make ends meet. Sometimes, I would perform at the opera then bartend directly afterward.
It was exhausting.
But I would never be able to afford the things I needed unless I kept working.
The longer I didn’t have Maverick in my life, the more I appreciated that lifestyle. Without my family inheritance, I had nothing. I was left with the coins in my bank account and the checks my employers wrote. I still had to budget for utilities and groceries, and I could never afford any new clothes.
That wasn’t the reason I loved Maverick, so I wouldn’t go back to him for that—even if it was the easy way out. Maybe someday, I would be a big star and my salary would be higher. Maybe one day, I could have a nice house of my own.
I held on to that dream and kept believing.
The bar was about to close one night when a familiar face walked inside. Maverick wore a t-shirt and a dark blazer, drawing the attention of all the women in the room. He strode to the bar with one hand in his pocket, and when he reached the spot where he’d been last time, he took a seat.
My heart jumped into my throat at the sight of him. I’d thought I would never see him again, unless he was handing me divorce papers. But here he was, appearing a week after our last conversation.
When I reached the counter in front of him, I noticed he was still wearing his wedding ring. Maybe he took it off the second he got home and put it back on to see me, but I suspected he wouldn’t do that.
Proactively, I grabbed a bottle of scotch and filled a glass.
He took it but kept his eyes on me. “How are you?”
“Fine. You?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been better.”
I’d been better too. “Why are you here?”
“Just want a drink.”
“All the way in Florence?” He had enough liquor in the house to survive for years without leaving it. Plus, he had servants who would run out and fetch anything he asked for. There was no reason for him to drive all the way to Florence and sit at this bar—unless it was to see me.
“I like Florence.”
“No. You like sitting in dark rooms with a cigar in your mouth.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “You really know me.”
When I dropped my hostility for a few minutes, it was actually nice to talk to him. I was so lonely in that apartment, even when Brandon slept over. I didn’t like to cuddle with him, choosing to stick to my side of the bed. We didn’t talk much either because I wasn’t interested in his character. He was just a pretty man who knew how to fuck, how to make me forget my husband for a few hours. “Did you submit the papers to your lawyer?” He still hadn’t dropped them off, so I assumed he took care of it—even though he was still wearing his ring.