Shove.“Waiting.”
Shove.“For a long, miserable hour… alone!”
With one last shove, I slam his back against the wall.“While he was enjoying whiskey with naked Candice!!”
“You need to calm down!”he growls, hands shooting out to grip my shoulders.His fingers dig in hard.
“No!”Fury gives me strength I didn’t know I possessed.
I knock his arms up and away, breaking his grip.I stumble back, putting space between us.
“I’ve been calm long enough!I’ve bottled your shit up long enough!All the lies, manipulation, cheating…Enough!”
James stares at me.Shock flickers across his face before his usual mask of arrogant composure slips back into place.He straightens, running a hand through his disheveled hair.His lips press into a thin line despite his hurried breathing.
“How many different ways can I explain this to you?”he asks, his voice low.“All you have to do is be the good fiancée, and I will let you keep your little café and the loan I gave you to buy it.”
“James, please.It’s clear we both want out.”I appeal to his ego.“Why waste any more time with me when you could be out enjoying a different woman each night, no strings attached?”
James scoffs, leaning against the edge of the table with arms crossed.“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, sweetheart.That name plastered in gold across the glass doors…?It says Devlin & Sons Financial.And sons,” he emphasizes.“We attract heavy hitters with a penchant for family and all that is wholesome.”He grimaces.
“You fit the bill.”He gestures vaguely at me.
Completely numb, I drop into the nearest chair.“That’s it…?”
James shrugs.“You needed money to buy the café, and I needed a fiancée to solidify my social standing and business prospects—”
“I didn’t ask for your money,” I whisper, dazed.
“But you accepted it,” he counters.“A win-win as far as I’m concerned.”
I look him in the eye, fresh tears blurring my vision.“Did you love me at all?”
“We’ve had some good times together.”He shifts uncomfortably.“I just didn’t know you’d quickly become such a pain, with your expectations and demands.”
“But did you love me, James?”I repeat.
“Well, that depends on your definition of love, doesn’t it?”He shakes his head, a condescending smile playing on his lips.“My parents are the perfect couple.Publicly, anyway.Privately, they have slept in separate bedrooms and led separate lives since I was little.He offered her the world on a platinum platter, and she made him look good in society.My father is always envied for having such a perfect wife.And to me, they look quite content.But knowing you, you’d argue that theirs is not real love.”
I shake my head.“It’s not.No.”
“And why not?Who says your definition of love is the only one that is right?I hate to break it to you, Mimi, but you’re in for a rude awakening if you believe that love is one-definition-fits-all.”
This is the closest to a heart-to-heart I’ve had with James in a long time.
I seize the opening.“Obviously, I’m not the right fit.I’m just a big pain.”The words rip at my throat.“And you deserve a woman who, like your mother, would be happy with this arrangement.”
“Still, it’s not that simple.We’ve already announced our engagement.Everyone who matters knows.”
“I don’t give a shit, James!”I snap.“This is my life, and I refuse to waste it on someone who clearly never loved me and never will—” My voice breaks.I swallow hard, fighting back tears.
Before I can take another breath, he cuts me off.“Save it, Amy.”His tone is flat.
As if my pain is an annoyance he needs to shut down, James lets out a loud exhale and pushes himself off the table.
He circles to the opposite side, trailing his fingers across the polished surface.“This is where deals are made,” he says, his voice infuriatingly matter-of-fact.“Not where hysterical fiancées come looking for drama.”
I stand abruptly, slamming my palms down onto the table.My gaze locks with his.“Let me go then.No more hysteria, no more drama.And we’ll come up with some type of repayment plan for the loan.”
