"I'll need time to make the payment happen, obviously. A week or two should be enough."
"Whatever works. Fuck, Liv. Thank you." The genuine relief in his eyes was enough to make me feel just a tiny bit glad I'd agreed to hand over a ton of money for him.
"Don't thank me. We both know you only maintained this friendship so I'd agree to this."
"That's not the only reason," he protested, but I could see it in his eyes that I'd hit the nail on the head.
"You deserve Gwen," I said flatly.
His nostrils flared. "She's trying to make a difference."
"You can make a difference without being an asshole. Bye, Jonah."
I took off into the trees at a sprint, and he headed back to the villa.
I didn't give a damn about what I'd just discovered. The only thing that mattered to me was that he wasn't my mate.
He wasn't my mate.
Relieved tears streaked down my face, and I had the overwhelming urge to call Niall. I would've done it, too, if I hadn't known how much I already hurt him.
Not a soulmate mark.
I could almost hear what Niall would've said if I'd called him.
I told you he wasn't yours.
You're mine.
Why the fuck is he on your skin?
Niall's possessiveness would ensure that he absolutely despised knowing that I had a piece of Jonah's soul, even if Jonah wasn't my mate.
I slowed to a jog as my tears dried up, my lips stretching in a grin as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Callum.
"We were wrong. He's not my mate."
"Thank fuck," Callum muttered.
"I know, right?" I wiped my eyes with my hands, slowing my jog to a walk. "You don't even want to know what it's going to cost me."
"It's worth it. We'll figure it out." I heard him murmur the news to Kat, and heard the soft lull of music and voices on his end of the call. They must've been in one of her cafes.
My eyes burned again.
I could have what they had.
I could honestly, legitimately have that. A mate who wanted me. Someone to sit with me in a coffee shop and hold my hand when my magic was overwhelming, and do the thing with me when I was having a panic attack, and?—
I inhaled deeply, cutting myself off right there.
Whoever my fated mate was, I couldn't expect him to be Niall.
Niall was his own person.
I still didn't know what I was going to do about him, but I didn't need to come up with a plan yet.
"Give me a second," Callum said, and the noise on his end of the call faded over a minute or so. "Sorry, I had to get out of the cafe and away from prying ears. Kat wants me to tell you congratulations, and that she thinks you should bargain with Niall."
