“I just want one night.” No one on this earth called me Annabella but him…and I missed that. He took the time to say every single syllable instead of needing to rush and go by a nickname instead. “I know you said you don’t want monogamy. But that doesn’t mean this can’t happen…” Why was I settling for less than I deserved? Why was I showing up here like a crazy person? I was the one who’d told him I didn’t want anything serious. Now I was the one who was so desperately in love, I’d completely lost control.
“Annabella.” His eyes stayed on the floor while his hands moved to his narrow hips. He was quiet for a while, processing what he wanted to say before he lifted his gaze once more. “It’s over.”
My lungs were both punctured by his knife, and I couldn’t breathe. His rejection stung like a swarm of wasps. Once again, I was embarrassed…and I had no one to blame but myself. Why did I have to come here? Why did I have to chase this man like my life depended on it?
His gaze turned hard, ice-cold. “Don’t come here again.”
I was gonna cry…cry my eyes out again.
“Go.” He walked past me to the door and opened it wide.
I didn’t turn around right away. I tried to understand what had happened. I walked through the door and kissed him…and he kissed me back. He kissed me back with the same passion and desire. But then he quickly changed his mind and kicked me out.
Why?
I finally found the courage to face him and walk out the door. I turned around again.
He kept his hand on the knob so I couldn’t slip back in.
“Why?” My humiliation was enough closure for me to move on and try to forget this happened, but I still felt like I was missing a piece of the story, like he was hiding something from me.
“I told you why, Annabella.”
“But I’m not asking for—”
“I just want to move on, alright?” He turned harsh again, treating me like a stray dog that wouldn’t stop coming around for extra scraps. “I’m sorry I hurt you. But I’ve moved on, and you need to do the same.”
The car ride happened in the blink of an eye.
I stared at the streetlights through blurred vision. Red. Green. Red again. The shame and heartbreak mixed together and caused a burst of pure humiliation. He’d rejected me because he didn’t want me anymore. That connection I felt…it was all just me. That good sex…was just sex. I saw something that wasn’t there, fell for a man who couldn’t care less about me.
God, I felt stupid.
Tears streamed down my cheeks, but I didn’t even notice them. Didn’t even care.
I should have listened to Sofia. Why didn’t I?
Damien would tell her what I did, and then she would look at me like I was a crazy person too.
Maybe I was a crazy person.
Love made me crazy…and I wondered if I’d ever really loved Liam at all.
I sure as hell hadn’t loved him like that.
When he’d cheated on me, I didn’t fly off the rails and throw dishes across the room. I didn’t hunt down the woman so I could bitch-slap her. I didn’t throw his clothes out the window. I wasn’t spiteful. I was calm…totally calm.
I wanted to be calm again. I wanted to be confident, self-assured, elegant. I wanted to be indifferent, to be chased instead of doing the chasing. I wanted a simple life, because reaching for something more…was stupid.
And I would never be stupid again.
The cab pulled up to the house and stopped.
I stared at it for a few seconds before I handed over my cash and walked to the front door. It was dark, and the distant sound of thunder vibrated against the clouds. Rain had been in the forecast, and it began to sprinkle.
I made it to the front door and knocked. This time, I didn’t feel embarrassed because there would be no rejection. I would be welcomed with open arms, be appreciated for the woman, the diamond I was told to be.
The door opened, and Liam stood there, his eyes filled with unmistakable surprise. He’d pictured this moment a thousand times but never thought it would actually happen. I’d been gone for so long, and with every passing month, his chances dwindled. But I was there now…and he could hardly believe it.
I’d cried over another man, and those tears stained my cheeks. I didn’t hide them because I couldn’t feel any more shame than I already did. Liam wanted me so much that he didn’t care about the conditions.
As long as he got to have me.
I moved into his chest, and he leaned in and kissed me.
He didn’t respond right away, his lips soaking in my kiss until he understood what he was feeling. Then his hands were on me, his arm hooked around my waist as he kicked the door shut behind me. He backed me up into the wood and kissed me with the passion I was looking for, like I was the only thing in the world that mattered to him. His hands cupped my face, and he pulled back to stare at me, to appreciate the sight of my face in the dim entryway light. “I’m not gonna let you go this time…”