“Why would I stay in a place where everyone thought I was a liar? Whereyouthought I was?” Her voice quivers, betrayal pulsing through every beat. “That’s what hurt the most, the thought that you didn’t know me at all.”
“Just because I love you, it doesn’t mean there won’t be times I’ll misunderstand you.”
“That’s the whole point.” Her voice cracks open as her anger bursts free. “Youcan’tlove me if you thoughtthatof me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” My voice drops to a raw whisper. “I still loved you. Even when I believed the worst—Istillloved you. If it had all been a lie, if you played me from the start—I would’ve loved you, anyway. If you hated me, I’d still love you. I willalwayslove you. That’s never going to change, Violet. Ever.”
The quiet stretches, pierced only by the tremble of her breath and the heavy thud of mine.
Sighing, I press my hand over the restart button. With a sudden jolt, the elevator kicks back to life.
She blinks like she’s surfacing from underwater.
The numbers tick higher as we stay rooted to the spot.
When the doors slide open, I force myself to step back, to give her space. But before I leave, I turn to her one last time.
“You’re coming to dinner tonight?”
She doesn’t follow me out, but her chin lifts, eyes fixed on mine. “Yes,” she says, soft but sure.
“I’m sorry,” I say, voice barely a breath. “Despite what you think and how badly I handled things, I never wanted this. I still wanted to be together...” I lower my gaze, letting my words settle before I finally meet her eyes again. “Don’t hate me. Please.”
As I walk away, something inside me buckles. The last time I watched her leave, it hurt.
This time, I know it might kill me.
Chapter thirty-one
Violet
My plan for today was simple.
Walk through the door with my head held high.
Smile politely until Nexora gets what they need from this deal.
Stick a middle finger up at everyone at Knightwell who ever doubted me.
Ignore Chase, as if my life depends on it.
And definitely, under no circumstances, fantasize about being taken against an elevator wall.
I was doing so well, right up until Chase walked into the room.
Until those dark eyes found mine—fire and temptation smoldering in their depths.
I’d almost forgotten how irresistible he is. The effortless charm. The razor-sharp mind. The dangerous kind of charisma that fills a room without even trying.
My heartbroken ass could’ve done without that reminder.
But the real sucker punch—the one I didn’t see coming—was the truth that hit me square in the chest:
I can’t deny it. His love is real.
It poured out of him like the brightest light, bleeding into every corner of the room. I sensed it in the way he touched me. In the desperate pull of his brow. In the way his eyes drank me in like he was drowning.
But most of all, I saw it in the heartbreak carved into his gaze as he walked away.
