Did Chad ever make me feel like this?
Did he ever trace his fingers along my skin like it mattered? LikeImattered?
Did he ever whisper quiet, intoxicating things to me while making me coffee inhiskitchen—blindfolded, no less?
No.
Chad had never looked at me like I wasdangerous. Or precious. Orboth.
He had never made my knees weak with a whisper.
He had never made silence feelsafe. Or sensual. Or like it might swallow me whole if I wasn’t careful.
Ambrose was the first person whodidn’task me to smile through it. He was the first one who saw through my silence and didn’t back away.
And somehow, that was even more terrifying than being left.
Because I knew that he was something I could never have.
I leaned forward, resting my head against my steering wheel, ignoring the fact that I was in my work parking lot.
“God, Harper,” I whispered. “You really did it this time.”
Then—
Bam!
The jarring sound of a palm slamming against glass. I screamed, jerking upright—
And my stomach plummeted.
Chad.
His face was flushed deep red, his features twisted in rage, contorted like I’d never seen before. He slammed his hand against my windshield again, louder this time, more threatening.
“Get the fuck out of your car, Harp!Now!”
My breath caught, panic coiling in my throat.
Because this man—the one who broke me—he was not done.
And the worst part was, he’d never looked more unrecognizable than he did in this moment.
My hands began to tremble as I reached for the handle.
He can’t do this.
Not here.
Not at my work.
I released a breath, doing my best to steady my heart as I opened the door, stepping out onto the pavement.
“Chad you can’t be here—”
He grabbed my wrist, cutting me off as he wrenched me forward.
“You know I thought you were fucking crazy when you tossed the ring. But you keyed my fucking car? How can you be that fucking stupid. It cost more money than you’ve made in your entire fucking life.”
