My smile was slow to form as I wiped away her tears. “Some paths are like memories, they bring us back to where we began with the slightest direction, while others take you to a fork, leaving you with a decision. Make the wrong one and the journey may be precarious. Yet sometimes even the right choice comes with its own heartaches.”
She looked at me, trying desperately to understand what I was saying, and I longed to tell her the truth, to tell her to forget about Trent and love me for the rest of her life. But I couldn’t do that to her, I couldn’t take away her chance at the happiness she deserved. I’d rather die than do that.
She palmed my cheek. “Sometimes you find a lifetime of love in a moment.”
My heart crumbled at the words. “And sometimes a lifetime is not enough to find a moment of love.” I rolled a gentle finger along her jawline. “You’ve found yours, baby. Go to Trent and live happily. He will love you like I never could.”
Tears glazed her eyes as she stared at me. “I’ll never know, will I?”
I inhaled sharply and before I could say anything, she turned and walked away, out of my arms, out the door, and out of my life. And for the second time since Trent’s arrival, tears rolled down my cheeks, my heart ripping in two. She’d handed it back in pieces just like I’d predicted. I’d done everything I could for her. Now, she needed to live. It was time to move on.
My phone buzzed. Wiping the corners of my eyes, I fished the phone out of my pants pocket and opened the single text.
Target acquired.
One down, three to go.I waited for the image and coordinates to download, dropped the phone and crushed it with my foot. Inside my bedroom, I slipped the folded sheet of paper out of my jacket pocket and reached for the‘The Starry Night’painting.
Five minutes later, I poured my third Macallan and scowled. A bit early to be drinking but I didn’t care. Usually I could hold my liquor, today I needed a reprieve from my pain. I glanced around the apartment. I was accustomed to spending nights alone when Ashrika chose to sleep at her apartment above the restaurant. Initially, it’d been a safety measure for the late nights then she began spending more time there and I fucking let her. The difference tonight, she wasn’t coming back.
“Fuck!” My glass flew across the room, crashing into a vase. Feeling a smidgen of comfort at the resounding shatter, I reached for the bottle. I drained its contents before it smacked into a glass table, sending chips cascading across the tiles. My laugh was maniacal, my pain even more so.
Ashrika
“WHERE TO, RIKA?”
“Just drive, Jenson,” I replied to my driver, leaned my head against the backrest, and stared out the window, my mind in a whirlpool. I hadn’t anticipated leaving the apartment this early, so I had nowhere to go, yet. The passing scenery failed to elicit any interest when Jenson headed out of the city.
For so long, a small part of me thought I’d meant something more to Zayne. I assumed he’d stayed away because of his promise to not take advantage of me and all this time he’d been seeing his assistant. The long overseas trips made perfect sense now. It was their time away. Still, a part of me refused to accept it. If that was indeed the case, why keep it a secret. Why not just tell me the truth? Our relationship wasn’t that of a typical married couple. And if he did tell me, it would’ve just made the earlier confrontation a lot easier to deal with.
Why couldn’t I get rid of the feeling that Zayne was keeping something from me? If he’d had thoughts of wanting me, why not mention it? He knew my relationship status and until Trent arrived, I had no reason to reject him if he’d tried anything.
I blew out a frustrated breath and closed my eyes. Maybe a little time would help settle my frazzled brain.
“Rika?” The soft call pulled me out of my sleep I didn’t want to leave. “Rika?” I opened my eyes to find Jenson looking at me, his smile gentle. “I’ve been driving for an hour.”
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry, Jenson.” I covered my yawn.
