Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 72648 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72648 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
I hit send, my gut churning because I know this is going to devastate her even further. Thinking I actually accept the fact she wants to walk out of my life.
I’m never going to let that happen, but I need to get her here to the Blackwood resort quickly so I can put an end to all this shit and get my life firmly back in hand.
CHAPTER 28
Bailey
Glancing down, I notice my hands are still shaking. I feel like I’m on a death march.
Why is it that when a woman has the right to be angry at a man and she calls things off, deep down, she hopes she was wrong about him? She has visions in her head of him pulling up in his limo under her window balcony à la Richard Gere in Pretty Woman to make a big public spectacle of his love for her.
Granted, I’ve been pretty pissed since meeting Madison Blackwood. I don’t quite think I had such romantic notions, but I think part of me expected Declan to try to convince me that I was wrong to give my resignation.
That I was wrong to give up on him.
Instead, I got a cold-blooded text telling me in no uncertain terms I was not worth fighting for. The only thing I can conclude is he was genuinely keeping this marriage a secret from me because he never had any intentions of staying with me for the long run. It makes me sick to think that I was played so well, and I didn’t even realize it. That’s twice now I have completely misjudged the situation with a man, and I vow I’m done with love.
With relationships.
Hell, I may decide to check into a convent when this is all said and done.
I almost texted Declan back to tell him to go fuck himself. I had lovely thoughts of me taking the keys, security badge, and iPad, then dumping them in the garbage and daring him to do something about it. But, ultimately, my professional sense prevailed. No matter how ugly things may be between us personally, I want a good recommendation from this company on my resume. If there is one thing I have learned from this it’s that I can do things I did not think I could.
I am actually worth a lot.
The elevator stops, and I get off at the executive suite level. Most of the offices have cleared out given it’s five on Friday. I’m happy about this because I don’t know what’s getting ready to happen. I could either walk out of here in tears after making a spectacle of myself, snot running out of my nose, or I may end up braining Declan with a paperweight and facing murder charges.
At this point, it could go either way.
Even though I’m not feeling it, I still make myself walk with confidence. I head down the hall with purposeful strides, my shoulders held back in pride. I am not going to let this man destroy me.
I march right into his office. I’m proud that my heart doesn’t even skip a beat when he turns to face me from his position where he had been staring out the window.
His eyes follow me as I walk right up to the edge of the desk, then place the key, security badge, and iPad on it.
I lift my chin. “The items you requested, Mr. Blackwood.”
A muscle tics in the corner of his jaw. I can tell he’s angry, but I don’t understand why. Surely he knew this would be the consequence for his lies.
Declan moves quickly around the desk. Before I know what’s happening, he has his hand wrapped around my wrist and he’s practically dragging me out of his office.
I try to pull away, snarling, “Get your hands off me. I don’t need to be escorted out.”
“Shut up, Bailey,” he growls. “I’m not escorting you out.”
I’m stunned by this. I have no clue where he’s taking me or why he would want to prolong this matter.
I resigned. He accepted.
And now I’m following him down the hall back to the elevators where he merely propels me in before stepping in behind me. He jabs at a button that takes us to the eleventh floor while I fume in silence. I try once more to take my hand away, but he locks on tight.
When the elevator doors open, he’s on the march again. Pulling me down a hallway to suite 1104. He raps sharply on the door three times. Suddenly, I feel like I’m getting ready to fall down a rabbit hole.
My stomach twists when the door opens to Madison Blackwood. At first, she has a triumphant look when she sees Declan, but when she takes me in, her expression turns sour.
“How dare you bring her here,” Madison declares, looking pinched and offended.