The only thing worse is realizing that, even after everything he's done to me, the hatred isn't permanent. The love is. There's no escaping it. Just like I told him on the plane, what feels like a lifetime ago, I never stood a chance. Not even once. Not even a little bit.
Chapter Nineteen
Brielle
There are photographers crawling all over the street outside of Asher's building, but I don't pause when they start shouting questions at me. I don't pause for security in the lobby either. Leah, the receptionist, tries to use her body to block me, I bulldoze through her, too determined to be slowed now.
There's a commotion behind me as security tries to grab a phone to call up and warn Asher that I'm coming. I stab thebutton for his floor without waiting around to hear what they have to say. Frankly, I don't care if he knows I'm coming or not.
A woman I've never seen before is waiting outside the elevator on his floor.
"You can't go in," she squeaks, trying to jump in front of me.
"Watch me," I growl, stomping past her without slowing.
She mutters something under her breath, hurrying after me. I ignore her protests and slam his office door open so hard the handle gouges into the wall behind it.
Six heads swivel at once.
Aside from a brief glimpse through the peephole, I haven't truly seen Asher in weeks, not since I told him to crawl. I don't know what I expect to find, but he's perfectly composed in a charcoal suit, his sleeves rolled up just so, his forearms braced on the edge of his desk. I know him well enough to see behind the mask, though. His eyes are dark, like he hasn't been sleeping, his face pale. And there's a tremor in his hand he can't hide, not even by bracing it against the desk.
Everyone seated across from him has the same haunted, desperate look in their eyes. I can't tell if they're here for a hostile takeover or an intervention.
No one moves. No one breathes.
He's the only one who meets my eyes, not even blinking. He isn't surprised to see me, though. Not really.
"If you want to keep your fucking job, get your hands off her now," he snarls at the woman clutching my arm like she thinks she can stop me if she just tries hard enough.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Blackstock," she says, mortified, dropping my arm like it's a bomb.
I walk the gauntlet, not sparing a single glance at his executives. They don't matter. They aren't why I'm here.
Asher just stands there as I approach, like his feet are rooted to the spot, his expression blank. It's like he's running on autopilot,doing what's expected of him. But there's a tightness in his jaw that gives away the truth—he's terrified of what I've come to say.
I plant my fists on his desk, staring him down. "You're a fucking asshole," I say, loud enough for the echo to bounce off every surface in the room.
A woman in a navy suit gasps softly, like she can't believe anyone would dare speak to him like that.
Asher doesn't even flinch. "I know," he says, his voice soft, almost apologetic. "But this asshole loves you."
The room goes silent. Every single person looks from him to me and back again. There's a clatter as someone drops their pen. Another exec slides their notepad off the edge of the desk. The woman in the navy suit actually squirms in her seat. It's like they're all recalibrating their worldview, trying to figure out who the man in front of them is now that they've realized he's human, with human emotions.
"Can we have the room?" he asks, not looking away from me.
They scramble for the door without hesitation. One man nearly trips over his own briefcase. The last one out closes the door with a soft, terrified click.
We're alone.
I don't wait. I step around the desk and shove him hard, both hands flat against his chest. He stumbles back, not because I'm strong, but because he lets me.
His face is blank, but his hands flex at his sides, like he's resisting the urge to touch me.
"You can't do that!" I spit. "You don't get to just say shit like that, not after what you did."
His mouth quirks, but it's not a smile. "What would you like me to say instead?"
"I'd like you to choke on it," I snap. "I'd like you to feel even a fraction of the pain you've put me through."
