His phone pinged with a text, and my eyes popped open, automatically going to the message on the screen. I blinked, the words not quite registering at first, but when they finally did, my heart sank.
The napkin might not have meant much on its own. It could’ve been there for any number of reasons. I could’ve been blowing it completely out of proportion.
But this… This was harder to excuse.
Jenny:
It’s been too long. I’m in town and missing you. Tell me when the coast is clear and we can hook up.
I stood frozen, swallowing repeatedly as I tried to force down the lump that had lodged itself in my throat. I knew I shouldn’t be, but I was still shocked that he’d move on so quickly. That he was ready to toss away what I thought had been special.
I’d thought what we had was different…for both of us. And I felt like an idiot for even entertaining the thought.
As of the moment Ford had called Don’s death last night, the contract became irrelevant. There was no longer a need for Ford and me to be married. And he was, apparently, ready to get out of it as soon as possible so he could get back to business as usual.
My stomach churned, and the negative voices in my head that my parents had fostered my entire life and the ones I’d worked for years to overcome weren’t whispering anymore. They were screaming.
What did you expect?
This was all just a game.
None of it was real.Certainly not the way he made you feel loved.
He’s seen all of you, your good and bad, and he didn’t choose you.
Ofcoursehe didn’t choose you.
He can’t wait till you’re gone so he can move on with his life.
He’s just biding his time until he can be rid—
“Kitten?”
I jumped, dropping the napkin on the counter and spinning to face him. God, he was gorgeous. Standing there in those damn gray sweatpants with rumpled hair and pillow creases on his face, his cheeks the dark pink they always were when he first woke up.
An ache bloomed in my chest over the thought of losing this man when I’d only just gotten him. When I’d only just finally opened my eyes to who he was instead of who Ithoughthe was. When I’d only just gotten a glimpse of what it felt like to be his…even if it wasn’t real.
“Why’re you dressed?” he asked, his voice low and rough as he scratched at the scruff on his jaw. He walked to me and gathered me in his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
I stayed stiff in his embrace, not allowing myself to sink into his warm body, even if I desperately wanted to. I wanted to forget what I’d seen. Pretend I didn’t know he was planning to hook up with a random girl. That he wasn’t counting down the days until he was free of me. But that would only make this worse in the long run. It was best to pretend this was what we both wanted. That I was just as ready to be rid of him as he was of me.
When he relaxed his hold on me, I stepped back, averting my gaze. I cleared my throat, hoping my voice came out even. “I’m heading into work.”
“What?”
“I’m going to the clinic.”
He stared at me, brows pinched as if he couldn’t understand what I was saying. “Don’t you think you should take some time after what happened? I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go back this soon. It’s barely been twelve hours.”
I blew out a frustrated breath, sidestepping him as I gathered my things. Irritated that after everything, he had the gall to pretend like he actually cared.
I needed to get out of there. The past twenty-four hours had been too much, and I was at my breaking point. But I refused to cry in front of him. Not when the inevitable tears were his doing.
“It doesn’t really matter if you don’t think it’s a good idea. Not all of us can take off whenever we want to, Ford. I’m the only one here to do this. If I don’t go in, sick patients aren’t going to be seen. People need to be taken care of.”
“Youneed to be taken care of,” he said, a hard edge seeping into his voice. “That’s what I’m trying to do here.”
“Why?”
