I wheel my suitcase into the bedroom, and Irvin watches me like a hawk, his face devoid of emotion.
“Where are you going, my princess?”
I shrug. “I’m leaving you. I can’t do this relationship anymore.”
I study him like a lab rat. He stalks toward me, cups my cheeks, and kisses my forehead. Then he picks me up, and I push at his shoulders for him to let me go. He smiles. Simply smiles.
“Give me a goodbye fuck then, for old times’ sake.”
Anger flashes over me. I hate the way he’s so calm and collected.
“I promised I wasn’t leaving, and you’re going to allow me to go?”
He sets me down and shrugs, shifting on his feet. “I can’t stop you from leaving.”
I realize I can’t hurt him emotionally. Maybe he believes I won’t leave.
“No. We had sex this morning and all this week. You’ve had enough sex to last a lifetime.”
“Okay, princess. Let me walk you out then.”
He grabs my suitcase, and I walk slowly on purpose to gauge his reaction, but his face is blank.
Outside, he opens the trunk of the white Mustang and stuffs my suitcase inside, slamming it shut.
My heart hammers in my chest as I stand in front of him.
“Be safe, and call me when you get there.”
When he opens the car door, I slide inside. He reaches over and straps the seat belt across my body.
My hands shake as I tap the push-to-start button. The engine hums to life. He looks at the gas tank.
“Make sure you fill up, and don’t be out at night.”
I swallow thickly. “Right.”
“Be safe.” He slams the door.
Tears burn the backs of my eyes. He’s going to let me go, and the pain in my chest won’t go away. I think he’s bullshitting me. He waves, then slips his fingers into his pockets, watching me as I put the car in gear and drive toward the main road.
My heart sinks deeper, and my hands tremble on the steering wheel. Once I reach the main road, I stop the car and look back at the mansion.
The mansion that became my home.
He’s really going to let me go.
Then the tears start flowing down my cheeks.
I only said it to get a reaction out of him, to hurt him emotionally, yet he didn’t take the bait. I can’t beat him emotionally. I’m not going to win this battle because I can’t beat him where he keeps everything locked down. He has his emotions contained. And I feel so powerless against him.
How do I beat him if I can’t beat him emotionally? He’s always thinking ahead, and I have to figure out how to catch up to him.
I swallow my sobs and wipe my tears, then try to fix my face with light makeup so it won’t look like I was crying. I put the car into gear and drive back to the mansion.
Irvin leans against the cobblestone wall, still smoking his vape.
He tucks it behind his ear and walks up to the car, opening my door.
