Once I had come, regaining some clarity, she’d rushed to throw herself in my arms, pleading with me to stay so we could talk.
I had walked out. I had left her sinking back down on the cushions with the kind of heartbroken expression that told me she probably cried the moment I was out of the room.
I wasn’t proud.
As we sit in stanch silence in the back of the limo, I’m still not.
It’s weighing heavier and heavier on me to carry on this act. To push her further and further away ’til it feels like we’re nothing more than cold strangers with the faces of what was once our lovers.
I don’t take pleasure in treating Nevaeh this way. In the beginning, it meant nothing to me to be inconsiderate and ignorant to her needs, but we’ve come far in our relationship. I’ve begun to view her as more than a fantasy from my dreams. She’s a woman… she’s my wife.
I miss our laughter, even if mine was sometimes gritty and reluctant. I miss holding her soft hand in mine and the way she’d rest her head on my shoulder and curl into me. But most of all, I miss the warmth that had begun to exist between us.
Warmth that’s chilled into a cold distance now.
I bite down on my jaw and glare out the tinted window, reminding myself this is how things have to be. I have to be this way with Nevaeh if she’s to learn a valuable lesson.
Loyalty is not an ask. It’s a requirement.
Your word is your vow. Vows are forever.
…or until death.
As though sensing what’s on my mind, Nevaeh turns her head. She’s looking in my direction. Stubborn as a fucking mule, I pretend I don’t see her out of the corner of my eye. We’ve reached the outskirts of Dresden and will arrive at her doctor’s office soon.
But she doesn’t care that I ignore her. She simply stares at me, recognizing it irritates me.
My clenched jaw and heated glare out the window probably give me away.
I snap at her. “What? What is it? Why are you staring?”
“Maybe after my appointment, we can?—”
“No,” I answer immediately. “What part of sit and be quiet don’t you understand?”
“Cael, we need to talk about us. Can’t you hear me out?”
“No, and using Cael in that sweet little voice won’t work.” The second the harsh words rumble out of me and the hope dies on her pretty face, I feel a deep pang of guilt. I almost…almosttake it back.
Until I bite down harder on my jaw and revert to glaring out the window.
We arrive at the doctor’s office only a few minutes later. The two men I’ve brought as security escort Nevaeh inside. I remain in the limo to place a couple of important phone calls. I had to come into the city today in order to meet with my accountant about some business moves I’ve been making.
And selling my share in Zinc Co.
Something that will infuriate Pa the moment he finds out. Not that I have a single fuck to give about the situation.
We’ve all but severed ties at this point. The night at the Orchid Lounge still hovers at the forefront of my mind. A group of men, at least eleven or twelve, attacked me in the alleyway. Who else could they be but Pa’s men?
He’d fled the scene and ordered his men to pounce, likely once he saw I was alone.
I have always been a man capable of standing on my own two feet. I’ve been the black sheep of my family. Proudly so.
The true definition of a lone wolf.
Pa will be furious when he learns of my recent business decisions because it’ll solidify I’m done with him. I’m finished playing his games, pretending to respect him and his authority, and being a part of his corrupt syndicate he calls a family.
Fuck him and fuck every last member.
