Those words hit me like a physical blow, and I took a step back. I wanted to fight, but what would be the point? It didn't matter that I loved Xavier, that I'd given him my heart when he was never in this with me. But I also refused to just sit back and take it. "If I had known you were just as bad as Jason, I guess I would've lost it during some drunken one-night stand. At least he wouldn't have made me feel like I mattered."
That got a small reaction, but he covered it quickly. "And don't even think about trying to sue me, Rosalee, because I will ruin you."
"You already did!" I bent to pick up my purse, grabbing my phone and my own green envelope that had been nestled underneath my windshield wiper this morning. "And worse than that? You let Jason make good on his threat to ruin me." The tears fell as I unlocked my phone and set it on the table infront of him. I didn't bother swiping at the tears because it was pointless. "You hid who you were from me from the beginning because you think your money is your best asset. You never trusted me. I shared my body with you and the ugly parts of my past, but you never did. You were never in this with me. I was completely alone." The last word came out on a sob.
His gaze flicked to the phone screen, but his expression was blank, not that it mattered. He believed the photos. He believed Jason.
"I was just a convenient fuck," I growled, ignoring the way my body rejected that claim. "I have to accept that. Maybe you never cared for me, and none of this will bother you, but look at those photos. When have you seen me wearing any of these clothes? Never, because they're locked in a storage locker in Houston. You've seen me naked. Am I still that small? I'm not, because I was safe here—at least I thought I was. But unlike Jason, you never policed what I ate. Then again, you never planned on being seen with me, so it never really mattered to you." I rubbed a fist over my heart to soothe the ache. "Apparently, you're a rich man who treats people however you want. Use them and toss them away." I dumped the contents of my envelope on the table, watching with the smallest hint of satisfaction as his gaze landed on the photos.
There were photos of him on magazine covers, red carpets, and other places where wunderkind businessmen were welcomed with open arms. "I guess you and Jason aren't that different after all. Somehow he knew you were hiding the truth from me, and he knew how much it would hurt me, so thank you, Xavier. Thank you for reminding me that no man will ever find me good enough. It's a lesson I'll never forget." I took one last look at him, letting my gaze linger on his features before tears blurred my vision, and I fled to the safety of my room.
I gave myself five minutes to cry for everything I thought I'd lost but had never really had, and then I got busy. After a quick call to Serenity to see if she could replace me by morning, I packed my bags and checked on Violet.
I didn't want to leave the little girl, not because I questioned Xavier's ability to care for her, because I didn't. He loved her and would do everything in his considerable power to protect her, and I trusted that. But she'd claimed my heart in a thousand different ways in the past couple of months, and leaving her was harder than I realized.
"I'll miss you, sweet girl." I didn't know how long I watched her play and laugh, walking around her room with her legs growing steadier with each step. Soon she would be talking, and I wouldn't be here to see it. I would miss it all because she wasn't mine.
Nothing in this cabin was mine. Not the man who owned it and not the little girl I cared for as if she were my own.
It was all a lie. I'd lived a lie in this bubble of happiness that had never truly existed. It was a dream sequence that lasted too long, but it was over now.
The bubble had burst.
Just like my heart.
There was only one option for me: leave this cabin and the mountain man I'd fallen in love with and start over.
Again.
This time, however, I would be starting over right here in Texas.
Chapter 31
Xavier
When the alarm sounded the next morning, I was already awake because I hadn't gotten one fucking minute of sleep. Rosalee's words and that look on her face haunted me all night. Every time I closed my eyes, there she was with tears in her eyes, staining her cheeks while she stood there and faced every accusation I tossed at her.
She hadn't tried to change my mind, though. With dignity, she simply pointed out where I was wrong, and then she left me to sit in it for the rest of the night. She'd left her phone, too, which allowed me to see the truth of the matter. Her ex hadn't stopped contacting her. At all. He tried sweet-talking her, telling her how much he missed her and reminding her how good they were together, too. When that hadn't worked, he started with threats, over and over, before he used the same words against her that I had.
I'll ruin you.
"Fuck." I was such an asshole, and I didn't deserve her. I didn't even deserve to breathe the same air as her. I knew that as surely as I knew anything, and it turned my stomach to acid just thinking about it. But today was a new day, which meant I had achance to fix it. To get on my knees and grovel until she agreed to give me another chance.
The house was still quiet when I headed for the shower, and nothing changed when I traipsed back to my room to get dressed. My hands flexed and bunched as I inhaled and exhaled, working like hell to calm my nerves before I went out there and made everything worse. If that was even fucking possible.
The scent of coffee hit me first, and I walked a little faster, letting hope expand in my chest. Violet was already babbling, and I even recognized some of the words she attempted, but what I didn't recognize was the middle-aged woman holding my daughter and drinking from Rosalee's mug. "Who the hell are you?"
My question startled a cry from Violet, but the woman just bounced her and held her closer while she smiled at me. "Good morning, Mr. Holloway. The name is Cathy McGee, and I'm Rosalee's replacement."
Her words slammed into my chest like a felled tree, making it difficult to breathe, to think.Rosalee's replacement."Where is she?" My manners had taken a holiday, and I would apologize for it later—maybe—but for now, I needed to find Rosalee.
Sympathy darkened Cathy's kind blue eyes. "I don't know, Mr. Holloway. Serenity sent me up here, and I met with Rosalee for about an hour. She told me what I needed to know about Violet and the job, then she thanked me for coming on such short notice." Her silver brows knitted into a frown. "Is something wrong, sir?"
Yes, every goddamn thing was wrong. "No, Cathy. Nothing is wrong." Nothing except that Rosalee had taken off in the early morning hours before I could get my head on straight. Before I could offer up an apology. "How long have you been here?"
"A little over an hour." Her lips pulled into a tight line. "I assumed it was some kind of family emergency."
Oh, it was an emergency all right. She needed to get the hell away from me as quickly as possible. "I need to go out for a while. Did Rosalee give you my number?"
