His Billions Can't Buy Her Forgiveness Now

ng crunch as I severed the

k anchor," the hidden woman who grou

celain sink, my phone lit up with a

rcus Thorne and Isabella V

l, he was sliding a massive dia

night, I was forc

table, her voice swee

livia. Especially now

idn't de

t even l

the merger data, dismissing me like an inconvenient

I was a p

ows, accepting the scraps of his af

as w

cked my life into

the one he called his anchor-and left it on

ock. Now you'r

ding on my door, I was already gone, flying towar

pte

via

g, wet crunch as they bit th

rasting violently against the white ceramic. They looked like dead th

ingers through it while reading documents, a mindless habit that made me

grazing my shoulders in the mirror, I

zed on the m

e pathetic, hopeful part of my heart-the part I hadn't managed

led M

t it wasn't the deep, baritone voice that

el

z

of a woman who doesn't just think she is

voice sounded foreign, scratc

ed tolerant. "He's a bit tied up right now. We're just dealin

er golden

voice was a low rumble, gentle and coaxing-a

you. Just hold still. I

in his tone

the highway in the pouring rain, he told me to call AAA

g, he had all the

s time, desperate for him to

ugh the background noise. It wasn't ge

ivia," I

l her back. This n

ne wen

oto of us from two years ago, smiling in Central Park. He

had carved himself during a trip to the Adirondacks. He wasn't an artist, bu

ressing the cold weight of it into my palm. *This s

i

l, polis

water swirl, dragging the dark strands down the drain. They resisted for a mom

ed to

e the version of myself that waited by the phone for a man who w

t and pulled out my s

es. I packed my sketchbooks. My charcoals. The things I had neglected be

e buzze

t mes

Marcus. It wa

CEO Marcus Thorne and Isabe

s. It hit the floor with a thud

ent. Professional. Marcus looked powerful in his black suit. Izzy w

ere sm

s calling him, while I was cutting my hair, while I w

ent seemed to close in.

y own making, built on a fou

ting the hardwood hard enough to

I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to ask him why. Why he ke

*Congratu

ered over the

lete

*How co

ete

d: *Go

. It looked final. I

. Not yet. The cowardice tas

everywhere. The comments were pouring in.

ut there were lines of exhaustion around th

y? He was destroying me, and I

that my heart still beat for

York City sprawled out below me, a grid of lights and noise.

ather's contac

up. "I think... I think I'm done with the his

ung

at the

last time. Marcus and Izzy. The

n went black, reflecting my own t

go. Thoroughl