Page 19 of Bastard In A Suit, Vol. 3

My cell phone pings. I glance down at the screen and wince at Duke’s name. Can we talk?

I ignore the message and crawl to a standing position. No matter how many messages he sends, I have to stay strong. The muscles along my neck feel tight and cramped. I massage it, but the motion reminds me of Duke’s mouth on my skin. I close my eyes to fend off unwanted images of our intimacy.

Another text. Hailey, you can’t ignore me.

Wanna bet? I flick off the sound and toss my phone on the kitchen counter. There’s no more ice cream, but I find a bag of chocolate chips. I eat them by the handful in front of the television, skipping through the channels until I find something action packed and not at all romantic.

Sometime later, I wake, muscles sore, chest aching with the sense of loss.

Dusk has come and gone, now replaced by the dead of night. The bright lights of the cityscape burn against the inky black sky, and in the distance, the glowing sign on the Kingston Industries building calls to me like a homing beacon.

Fuck this.

I yank the curtain down and head to the kitchen to turn off the lights. My cell phone glows in the dark. I lift it, and the home screen comes to life. Fifteen texts, five missed calls—all from Duke.

My stomach clenches.

I delete every message without listening or reading, and when I’m finished, I toss my cell into the garbage can under the sink. I’ll wait out my contract, or take Alan up on his offer of free legal advice—either way, I’m done with Duke Kingston.

Forever.