Scarlett, looking like the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
Meeting one of her clients face to face.
Finding out I’ve been played by the woman I had fallen for.
Suddenly, I want to puke for more than just alcohol reasons.
Lucas’s sympathetic look distantly registers as I bolt for the bathroom. As I heave the entire liquid contents of my stomach into the toilet, I can’t help remembering the last time I watched someone vomit all night long.
Once my stomach is empty, I collapse back onto the cold bathroom tile with a pained breath.
How did I let things get this fucked up?
I thought I’d been getting through to her, peeling back her layers by giving her a safe environment to do so. How had I been so wrong?
I need to talk to her.
It’s the only thing I can think of as I drag myself back to the hotel room. Confusion or not—heartbreak or not—I want to hear the truth from Scarlett’s lips. I just need to figure out how to find her.
When I stop in the kitchen and reach for the coffee machine, Lucas is giving me a blank look. I merely quirk an eyebrow at him in question.
“So…weird thing happened this morning,” he starts. “Your accountant called me.”
I finish pouring out the coffee and spin toward him with a snort. “Why? Did he assume I’ve been robbed because a hooker sweet-talked me out of a ridiculous amount of money?”
I still can’t read the look he gives me, but he’s not amused. “Not exactly.”
And then he spins his laptop toward me.
I take a sip of coffee before moving closer. Squinting, I try to make sense of the numbers on the screen.
“Fifteen thousand? What’s that charge for?”
“It’s not a charge, Nico,” Lucas says carefully.
When I look closer, I realize he’s right.
It’s a deposit.
“Who—? Wait, is that from a sponsor? I didn’t think?—”
And then I see the note beside it.
And my stomach falls straight through the floor.
Maybe one day I’ll be able to give and receive affection without a dollar sign, but for now, this is where I’m at. Thank you for being patient with me these past few weeks; I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. I held onto yourmoney because it never felt right to use it. In hindsight, it was because I always knew my feelings for you were real.
So, I’d like to give it all back, in the off chance that yours are real, too.
I’m so excited to see you at the gala tonight.
xoxo
Scarlett
I think I start to hyperventilate. I get dizzy as soon as I straighten, and I have to grab the back of the kitchen chair to steady myself.
Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck.
