“Yes!” She yelled at me. “She insulted me.”
A humorless scoff escaped me. “Well, she has every right to it. This entire mess is on you and me.”
“You need to control your wife,” Phoebe hissed.
“Watch your mouth, Phoebe,” I said, my voice dropping low and cold. “You don’t get to talk about her like that. Not after everything.”
Silence. Whether she was shocked or offended, I didn’t care.
Finally, she exhaled sharply. “I’m sorry. I was just... shocked.”
Another breath. “And Adrian... did you really mean it? To end us?”
I closed my eyes for a second, forcing my temper down. “There was no us, for fuck’s sake, Phoebe. It was a mistake.”
“But that night—”
“You wanted it to happen, Phoebe. And I let you.” My jaw tightened. “That was my fault. My mistake. And if you don’t have anything to say other than your debt, I’m ending this call.”
“Wait, Adrian—”
“What?” The word came out colder than I intended, but I didn’t care anymore.
“About the debt. I promise I’ll pay it back.” I let out a slow, sharp breath through my nose, irritation flaring again.
“Of course you should. Otherwise, I’ll take legal action.”
“Adrian—”
“I said enough.” My voice dropped, controlled and final, the kind of tone that leaves no room for argument.
“Don’t call me again unless it’s about returning the money.”
Without waiting for her answer, I hung up. It was the only thing that felt right, something I should’ve done the very first time she tried to reach me.
CHAPTER 10
Adrian
I took a slow sip of my coffee, letting the bitterness burn its way down my throat, hoping it would do something—anything—to clear my head.
“You look like shit,” William said, deadpan as always.
We were grabbing a quick lunch before heading back to our own offices. William was basically my brother at this point. We’d been tight since college, the kind of friendship that survived dumb decisions and way too many bad hangovers.
“How’s Elena?” he asked.
“Still the same,” I muttered. “She barely talks to me.”
“Poor you,” he snorted. “Must be going through a dry spell.”
“Fuck off.”
“No, seriously,” he said, laughing. “How is she?”
“It’s hard, man.” I admitted, rubbing a hand over my jaw. “Honestly, if I were her, I don’t think I’d forgive me either.”
“Astrid was livid after she talked to Elena,” William said.
