Page 78 of Saved By the Billionaire

“You were jealous. Take it from me, it’s a beast of a thing.”

“I’ve never felt that before.”

“You’ve never felt anything before, that’s my point. Kate is different.”

“Kate is…gone. She’s absolutely never going to want to speak to me again.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to come home without trying, does it?”

“Would you talk to a guy who treated you like that?”

“No. Not at first, and not without some serious grovelling. I mean, serious. And for God’s sake, by grovelling, I don’t mean diamonds. I don’t mean money. I don’t even think flowers. What you need now is to be honest with her. Tell her how you feel, and go from there.”

“She says she loved me.”

“I know she did.”

He shook his head. “How do you know?”

“Anyone in the room with the two of you could see it. Except, well, the two of you.”

“I need her in my life.”

“Then go get her.”

“What, kidnap her back to my apartment until she falls in love with me again?”

“Not quite. Just…don’t forget that you’re a fighter. You can’t give up because you made a mistake. If she loved you, if she still loves you, she’ll give you a hearing. It’s up to you not to waste that.”

Chapter Seventeen

“OH MY GOD, NO.” SHE went to slam the door in his face but Roman’s foot was there, holding it ajar.

“I know I don’t have any right but please, Kate, give me five minutes.”

She was shaking her head though, her face now scrubbed of makeup, and the dress swapped out for a denim skirt and singlet top. No bra, and he hated that he noticed. Then again, what didn’t he notice about Kate? “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“I shouldn’t have acted like that.” The hand that gripped the door showed white at the knuckles.

“No, you shouldn’t.” She glanced away, chin trembling. “And I’m sure you feel sorry, on some level, but I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to see you.”

What could he say to that? “Will five minutes really be the end of the world?”

She bit down on her lip.

“Let me come in, start a timer, and I promise, I’ll leave when you tell me to.”

But her eyes went round in her face and something like shock passed over her. “You can’t come in.”

Jealousy spiked, as he imagined all the scenarios that might confront him, like a harem of men begging for Kate to be their lover, and then he realised what was on her face. Shame. The area of Sydney Garrett had driven him to was not exactly salubrious, and Kate didn’t want him seeing her home. Didn’t want him judging her. His insides washed with acid.

“I don’t care about your apartment, I just want to talk to you.”

“There’s nothing you can say to fix it,” she said softly, but anguished. So anguished. “There’s no apology that can undo it.” She dashed at her eyes and he wanted to give in to the same emotion. He wanted to surrender to grief and sadness, to throw himself against her and beg. He stood stock still, not moving, trying to remember Tia’s words—that he was a fighter—to see a way through this. “I’ll never trust you again, Roman. There’s no point. Whatever you came to say is just…words.”

Just words. Because he’d shown her what he was like. What he really thought. He felt ill.

“Kate, please, that was⁠—”