I didn’t move or speak. It was one of those moments when I was so mad I couldn’t even think. All I could do was feel ferocious rage. Not only did she purposely sabotage my happiness, but she severed her loyalty to me. Any trust I had for her evaporated like hot steam from a boiling pot. All I could see was red.
Ariel blinked her tears away and hid them as best she could. She still didn’t say anything, probably because she had no defense.
I rubbed my fingers along my jaw, feeling my heart pound in my chest. I should have trusted my instincts when London behaved strangely. She told me she wanted to leave, but everything she said contradicted the way she was with me.
She did love me.
She did want to be with me.
The realization dimmed my anger, but only slightly. The sooner I got on a plane, the sooner I could be with her.
But first, I had to take care of this bitch. “Looks like you’re the snake in the garden.”
Ariel’s eyes looked slightly bigger with the black frames on her nose. Her expression wasn’t so professional anymore. Now she had emotions, reactions. Above all else, she looked scared. “Let me explain myself…”
“Sure. I’d like to see you try.” There was nothing she could say to justify what she did. Not a single thing.
“I don’t need to remind you of everything she did to us…”
“No,” I said coldly. “I was there. I remember.”
“She’s not trustworthy, and I didn’t want to work in a business where she could benefit from it. I’ve never trusted her feelings toward you. I’ve never trusted that she would be a good partner for you. I didn’t want you to throw away everything you worked for by choosing the wrong wife.”
That only made it worse because those reasons were bullshit. “I understand you like to be in control of everything around you. But I’m not something that can be controlled, Ariel. I’ll fuck who I want to fuck. And I’ll marry who I want to marry. I’d definitely prefer to leave you behind than sacrifice the love of my life. You had no right to do what you did. I’ll never forgive you. And I’ll certainly never trust you.”
When she blinked, a small tear emerged. “I understand, Crewe. I didn’t realize how much you loved her until she was gone. That’s when I realized I made a mistake. I came in here to tell you that.”
“Looks like her brother beat you to the punch.”
“And if he hadn’t, I would have told you myself. I admit what I did was wrong, and I came in here to make it right. I understand if you don’t want to work with me anymore, but I promise I’ll never do anything like that again. I promise I’ll make this right and get her back here. I promise—”
“Fuck you, Ariel. I don’t want you within three miles of me at any times. You hate London because of what she did, but your actions are far worse. She was the victim of a kidnapping, and she was trying to survive. You were just a brat who wanted to get your way.” I shook my head and ground my teeth. “The world isn’t accepting of who you love, but I’ve always been supportive of that. You know I would defend you and stand up for you, even to the fucking Queen of England. I thought we had each other’s backs, Ariel. I thought we loved each other—”
“We do.”
“Shut the fuck up. You threatened to leave our business because you didn’t accept who I loved. And then London sacrificed me just to get you to stay. I find it very odd that my relationship revolves around you. I find it very odd that the person I trust most stabbed me in the back like that. It’s so selfish I can’t even stomach it.”
“I know what I did was wrong—”
“I’ll never forgive you.” We could argue for a week straight, and I wouldn’t change my position. Ariel was corrupt and cruel. She claimed she did everything to protect me, but she did it for her own self-interests. “I never want to see you again. I’ll talk to my lawyer, and he’ll take care of all your shit. All communication can be done through him.”
Now she cried harder and wiped the tears away with her fingertips. “Crewe—”
I rose out of my chair and snatched my phone on the way out. “I have to go get my woman now. I don’t have time for any more of this bullshit.”
20
London
I was living off my savings and sleeping in a motel room.
It wasn’t nice, but I didn’t need nice right now.
I hadn’t bothered to find an apartment yet. I hadn’t even bothered to find a job. I’d never been this lazy in my life, but it was hard for me to get out of bed. I only ate when my stomach wouldn’t stop growling and I felt light-headed. There was a deli just next door, so I walked there to get a sandwich.
I’d been watching a lot of daytime TV, most soap operas. Every time a couple broke up, I thought of Crewe and shed my own tears. I constantly checked my phone to see if he texted or called me and I just happened not to hear it.
But he never did.
I tried to convince myself this was for the best. He deserved someone better than me. But those words did little to make me feel better. Honestly, I loved him so much that I wanted him to myself.
Did that make me a terrible person?
I’d never hated someone before, but I truly hated Ariel. If she weren’t so close to Crewe, I would have told her to fuck off then gave her a black eye. She had a lot of nerve pulling the stunt she did. When I disliked her before, at least I respected her. But now I just thought she was a manipulative bitch who controlled Crewe like a puppet with invisible strings. The only family I had was Joseph, and I knew Ariel was all Crewe had. If it weren’t for that fact, things would have turned out completely differently.
A knock sounded on the door.
I was lying in a bed that had only been made once, with the light from the TV shining on the wall. It was nearly nine in the evening, so I assumed it wasn’t housekeeping. I felt perfectly safe in New York, but I wasn’t na?ve either.
I crept to the door and looked through the peephole.
I knew I was losing my mind when I saw a man who looked just like Crewe on the other side. With the same five-o’clock shadow, the same mocha brown eyes, and the same powerful shoulders.
Maybe this was a dream.
“Lovely,” he spoke through the door. “It’s me.”
I inhaled a sharp breath before my hands began to shake. I tried to get the latch off the door, but I couldn’t slide it through the metal. My movements were too jerky because I couldn’t keep my body still. “One second…I’m trying to get the lock.” I finally slid it over and unlocked the handle. When I pulled the door open, the cold air rushed inside, bringing the smell of frost from winter.
I hadn’t even thought about changing. I was in sweatpants and his old shirt with a messy bun planted on the top of my head. I looked terrible, but I was so excited to see him that I didn’t think twice before opening the door.
I’d been thinking about him nonstop, and now that he was here, I didn’t think. I said the dumbest thing. “Can I get you some water?”
Crewe stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
“I mean…sorry. I just can’t believe you’re here. I… Why are you here?”
His hands went to my waist, and he moved in close to me. “Ariel told me the truth. Now I’m here to take you home.”