otte'
y head hurt so bad everyth
apartment door
ilthy
rattled
it me. I pressed my hand aga
t was all wrinkled, and a half-finished beer sat on th
you?" I asked, bare
"What's wrong with me?
s wor
shuts way bef
st for a second
es nar
e hesitati
erate. He was looking at me like
re you, C
you. A
. "Don't
m n
dn't co
u didn'
the hell would I? You
ath. "You could've ju
d? I had to cook m
ght? That was wha
because you
the table and jabbed it in my dir
nk you're
ce wen
ed his hand around my arm and
you can dis
go, B
and sniffed. H
ell dif
hurt more th
fr
closer. "You sm
s what it was. The Royal Crest. Why
Bruce's voic
e's n
ut deeper
rlot
id, n
nk I'll
shoving him away. He stagge
nt quiet except for the TV
t shouting. Not moving. Study
pt with
oked
a sharp, bi
rea
ru
actually
Hated that rent and hospital bills boxed me in like this. Hated that Bruce never hel
t to judge me
fted so fast
'd yo
heard
start this
ack. "You drink all day, scream at me
d me. Too slow. That was s
han me because some rich g
not what
're thin
N
"You smell li
back, pressing flat to the wa
said quietly. "Ba
yes
ired,
. "Imagine how I feel, knowing my gir
ot what h
laugh was cruel. "Tel
my mout
ence hu
ked up the TV volume until mu
een it before. Right before bruises. Right before
, metal clinking as it
em is?" He sounded calm n
y head, d
e, pl
got your
o this,"
ked back
sor
his fist. "Saying sorry
tarted
I didn't mean i
One more time, Charl
t the floo
d through the a
OUCHED
th
ruce glanced over, distracted for just
re he was o
a
He looked nothing like the guy from last night whose hands had left
ing the screen. "Y
sed ten thousand dollars at me like it was nothin
ps pa
a sparked in my head. A dangerous one. Bu
tching me. "Y
ger at the scre
e fr
ha
guy from l
t followed was
y turned to
t care. His eyes locked on Jace, on his suit, the flashes, the bodyguards. Greed
m?" His voice was
odd
TV, thinking hard, bef
elt different. The anger was go
re se
es
nto the couch. He smiled.
t with Ja
t my tear
the TV. "That famil
as thinking. I ha
ru
paid
n't a
w m
esn't
w m
thous
ward me; his eyes w
hould've
didn't look at me like a girlfriend anymo
l have th
N
re i
posit
twisted. "
it in t
t telli
my m
nasty laugh.
es
at money be
flooded
ould even notice you," he said. "You'd
hed. "You're
unbelievable is you ending
en. That's when it hit me: Bruce didn't care that I'd slept
pened with h
thi
ct me to
just one
doesn't get
hat you want me
long time, then that
ing to see
mach d
N
es
m n
ready d
as diff
ow
eded
w we ne
e
in front of me. "You
owe you a
dened. "You
nt re
n hard. "You're g
N
you
aid
s ten thousand dollars on a girl
d me to
. "They alway
s and perfect suits while the crowd cheered. A
lled into their world
lly let go
ake yourself usefu
k, keeping di
, cold and sur
nk account suddenly didn't
ike the start of somet
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