I don’t let it derail me. Raising my palm to her cheek, I move to cradle her flushed face in my hand.
“No, it’s time you listened. Really goddamn listen.” She slaps it away. “I’ve never answered their texts or calls, Duncan. Hardly saidhelloandgoodbyewhen they came to our home. I’ve been single and eventually broke by choice.”
Relief knocks the air out of my lungs. I never knew about the other men or how she turned them down. My PI wasn’t there to stalk her twenty-four-seven. I couldn’t be there all the time.
To think I almost lost her…
“Little moon.” I take another step forward, forcing Elowyn’s elbows to bend since she keeps pushing at my chest.
Her eyes narrow. “I’m not done.”
“Okay.”
“Last night, when I came up here, I was going to tell The Restorer he wasn’t allowed to touch me again. Either that, or our deal was off.” Her chest expands. “I was fully prepared to scrape by and hope for the best instead of being a stranger’s plaything. A stranger who wasn’t you. Then, I told you this wasn’t about the money, and yet you can’t let go of the lie. You tell yourself you’d rather insult me than see the truth for what it is.”
A sob chokes her as she turns around and flees out of my gallery.
My heart hammers, my lungs too big for my body. They’re breaking bones. Splintering ribs. There are so many cuts that I don’t think I can survive.
Elowyn.
I start chasing after her, eviscerating the distance between us.
When she hears me on her heels, she shouts, “I need space. Don’t come anywhere near me.”
And I…do as she says.
For her.
Because I’ve fucked up royally.
Because I’ve been the biggest asshole.
Because she needs time, and I’m going to be a decent person for once and listen.
18
ELOWYN
Bam, bah-bam. Bam, bam, bam. Ba-bam.
It’s the beat of my heart, a strange cadence that refuses to settle. Every part of me begs it to slow down. To ease enough that my eyes can close and sleep can take me.
My body is desperate to recover. My mind aches for a chance to mend.
If only.
Unable to stay still, I toss and turn in bed. Eventually, I end up resting on my side, staring out the window.
The moon is full tonight, hanging in the sky beside a scatter of stars, their light filtering into the room.
Like me, they’re wide awake.
“Ugh,” I groan, turning again.
Other than my pulse, my damn thoughts won’t leave me be. They’re trying to trap me here forever, wide-eyed and exhausted.
He treats you like a slut, calls you one too.
