“I know.”
“Then answer.”
Her eyes dart nervously across the ballroom. “Hayden, my father's here.”
That answer alone pisses me off. Not because she’s worried but because she’s scared. Still scared of him.
“You think I give a fuck?” I mutter darkly.
“I do!” Her voice cracks softly. “Please. You can’t be seen here.”
My jaw tightens painfully, because there it is again. Stolen moments, and I fucking hate it.
She reaches for my hand gently. “I missed you.”
And God help me… That almost softens me. Almost.
Until Brayden fucking Augustine appears behind her adjusting his cufflinks like he belongs beside her. My vision instantly narrows as his eyes flick toward me calmly.
“Can I help you?” he asks, but I don’t answer him. I just keep looking at my girl who looks seconds away from vomiting. He slides one possessive hand against the small of her back.
My fists tighten at my sides as I try to breathe in through my nose and let it flow out of my mouth, but the rage boiling over inside me pressures me to just put him through the nearest window.Mine. Every violent instinct inside me screams it, but her father stands only twenty feet away laughing with city officials and judges.
Wrong place
Wrong time.
Wrong fucking universe.
“I dropped my phone in the parking lot. He was just giving me my phone back. See I got it,” she says, holding her phone up.
“Hey, Brayden, come here for a moment,” some pretentious asshole calls out.
“If you will excuse me,” he states, then kisses her on her cheek, and she nods. He walks away and all I can think about is how he gets this version of her. The public version. The girl in beautiful dresses, standing beneath chandeliers. While I get hidden warehouses and goodbye kisses before sunrise. And suddenly, it's not enough anymore. Not even close. I spin and walk away before I do something I’ll regret. The clicking of her heels as she follows has my jaw tightening to the point of pain.
“Hayden, please don’t leave here angry,” she begs.
Too late.
So, I spin and push her into the dark hallway. I step closer until my mouth brushes against her ear.
“You smell like him,” I growl, and she gasps.
“Hayden...” she whimpers.
“I fucking hate it,” I spit.It’s the truth. The raw ugly truth.
Her eyes immediately fill with tears. “I had to come tonight.”
“I know. But… this isn’t enough for me. Having you as a secret? I can’t do it anymore.” And that fucking grates on my nerves, because she’s trapped here. Still fucking trapped, wearing chains disguised as diamonds and designer gowns.
I stare at her for one long, devastating second before moving backward completely, and her expression crumbles.
“Please…”
But if I stay any longer, I’m either dragging her out of here over my shoulder or killing Brayden in front of half of Brimstone. Neither option ends well.
So instead, I walk away furious enough to choke on it. The cool night air hits my face hard outside the ballroom while rage and heartbreak tear through my chest simultaneously. ,
