Asshole.
What did I do to deserve this kind of public judgment? He and I aren’t celebrities. Our breakup should be private, but now it’s out there for everyone to see, since he didn’t bother to limit the post to friends only. Some strangers left snide comments, too.
Sometimes you don’t know what kind of witch they are until you start living with them. Thank God you found out before you got fooled into marrying her. Imagine how much worse that’d be. *Shudder*
Women just latch on to men to fulfill their emo needs, not caring that we have needs too. Got something blunt to say about that, but don’t wanna get banned.
What strangers say shouldn’t matter. They don’t know me. But their cruelty still digs talons into my chest, sending out ripples of pain.
Owen responded to each of them. He must’ve had a lot of time since he came home from clubbing. And needed reassurance that he did nothing wrong.
Totally. Some women are just a lost cause. Time to write ’em off and move on. Life’s too short.
I should’ve thrown the meatballs in Owen’s face last night.
Nicholas places a hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
I don’t want to tell him how pitiful I look in this breakup saga. “Just some stupid stuff on social media.”
Maybe it’s my glum tone that makes him disbelieve me. He stops at an intersection, plucks the phone from my hand and looks at the screen. His mouth tight, he scans the feed.
“Can I have it back?” My voice is shaky. No need for him to see more of my humiliation.
“Gimme a sec.” Suddenly, he smiles, crinkling his eyes and curving his mouth into a gorgeous line that leaves my heart fluttering. He takes a quick snapshot, then taps my phone a few times.
Uncertainty and a tinge of excitement mingle inside me. I have a feeling that he’s going to do something about those horrible people, just like he rose to the occasion with Owen yesterday. “What are you doing?”
“Making my position known. I guess I wasn’t clear enough last night at Dolce.” He gives my phone back, inclining his head in an invitation to check what he did.
Molly’s new man here. I’m glad she and Owen aren’t together anymore, too. Now I can indulge and spoil her the way she deserves. Some frogs never turn into princes. Easier to just skip all the kissing and grab a ready-to-date prince.
Underneath that comment is the selfie he just took. He looks amazing in the photo, and it does its job—Owen looks like a particularly malformed warthog by comparison.
I gasp, then laugh. Happiness wraps around me like a warm blanket. “Oh wow… Thank you. You didn’t have to post that, though.”
“Sure I did. Nobody gets to disrespect my girl that way.”
My insides go gooey at the way he said “my girl.” When he talks in that tone, I feel like I belong to him.
“Also, he looks like a toad in that picture where he has his face squished up against his new girlfriend’s.”
I know the one Nicholas means, and have to laugh. It wasn’t the best shot of Owen. Why my ex put it up for public consumption is anyone’s guess. He’s generally more careful about the photos he posts. “And you’re the ready-to-date prince.”
“Yup. Only the very best for you.” Nicholas winks playfully.
His good humor is infectious, and I love how easily he cheers me up. Nobody else has been able to do that, not even Georgia.
But when we pull onto Owen’s street, my mood sours again at the sight of the flashy red Ferrari parked in front of my ex’s garage. He wants people to assume he must have another, even more expensive, car in there, but it’s actually empty. He just prefers the Ferrari to be visible so everyone can see his dick hanging out.
“You’re frowning again,” Nicholas says.
“Owen’s home. I was hoping we wouldn’t run into him.”Please, please don’t let Dana be with him right now.
“Molly.” Nicholas squeezes my shoulder gently. “Remember—I’ve got your back.”
I look into his calm gray eyes. Power radiates from him, and I suddenly realize I can get through packing up my things no matter who’s at Owen’s home. It’s as though Nicholas has extended an invisible shield around himself and included me within its protection. “Thanks.”
Nicholas kills the engine, and we walk into the place together.
