The revenge

ella

morning, the other sid

as g

No number

ay there in silence, trying to convince myself it was just a dream. But the sore

but he had been a soft place to land in the middle of my storm. And no

s. The damn hotel room sheets that still smelled like him. I grabbed my

o see you

estions. Just tol

d concern written all over their faces. Jennifer opened the door and pulled me into the kind of hug th

mell of vanilla candles in the air, and a kind of sacred silence that only exists

hand through my tangled h

voice hoarse. "Last nig

aised a bro

your house, Jen. Not after everyth

yes narrowing slightly.

e. A man. Older. Way older-like, salt-and-pepper b

old are we talking? Like... '

Not pushy. Just powerful. Like he's walked through fire and come out the

nged glances bu

anced. And then..." I hesi

xhaled.

floor. "Didn't want to. I just... needed someone. Not l

with words, not with

e," I said. "No number. No na

er head. "Did you

tighten. "God, I hate him. I don't even know him and I hate hi

r my hand. "You're

months and walked away like I was nothing. And this stranger...

t our lowest, we crave something raw and immedia

bubbling up. "I thought maybe he'd leave a note. Or... or stay until I

d that broke some of the he

aybe he was too scared to face you in the morning. Maybe he's married.

ed for the first time in months. And now I

okay to feel pain, even if it came from a stranger. You gave hi

to be for a few hours," I admitted. "Confident. Sexy. Alive.

n girl. You've always been that confident, sexy, alive

ed, voice barely

d firmly, "we help y

-

rible rom-coms, painted our nails, and laughed louder than we had in we

, steadily being replaced by something softer.Not love.But it was healing.A

-

dn't seen Kelvin in weeks, not since the breakup, and I intended to keep it that way. The last thing I needed was anot

rently, had a

cup in one hand, sunglasses on, trying to

ted passenger window. He looked exactly like I remembered: tall, broad-shouldered, the kind of elegance that didn't

fr

the car d

steppe

ly I thought I might throw up

l said, then slapped his shoulder

o

no

uldn't

me in short, staccato bursts. My mind was screaming, but all I could hear was the echo of R

t just some r

Kelvin'

The city was a blur. The tears didn't come until I shut the door behind me and colla

nutes later, a crumpled m

eeling beside me. "What

ide and wet, and finall

from the bar. From the hot

nked. "

, voice

elvin's

-

o. I sat curled up on Jennifer's couch, legs tuc

Greek tragedy bullshi

"You couldn't make t

joke. I didn't know, I swear I didn't. He never told me his name.

back like a mother would. "You didn't do

ept with the father of the man who cheated on me. The man who

t: this isn't your shame to carry. Rodwell's a grown-ass man. He

hat if he didn

messy, and painful, and it's a hell of a shock-but Isa, this wasn't malicious. Thi

" My voice cracked. "By both

e not used. You're wounded. And

haled, slow and shaky.

er lip. "Do yo

But I don't know how to move p

h it," Anita said. "

" Elizabeth added, "then screw him. Th

people trying to forget the people who broke them... then maybe, in the most twi

again, and this time I

I whispered. "That I still feel something when I

ty with filth. That night wasn't dirty, Isa-it was h

lder, finally letting the tea

oftly. "But you let us hold it with you

-

, haunted by the echo of Rodwell's voice, by the heat of his touc

lv

dw

on wh

er who v

, trying to make sense of a pain

as before. That girl-the one who needed someone to wan

ecome someone new

r encouraged me to apply for jobs. She said I needed structur

I found Strat

their doorstep. Books. Electronics. Lifestyle gadgets. You name it, they shipped it. I loved the

erthinking. I was ti

traightforward, no-nonsense. She liked my communication skills, and the nex

weeks, I felt a spar

day on the job

d, trying to remember where the supply closet was,

a tailored navy-blue suit, his hair slicked back, that same c

idently to a group of executives. He looked nothing like the broke

slipped from my hands.What is he doing here?.As if the universe had more irony in store

e Ro

ager, Strat

show it. He was completely composed, professional, all business.But me?Inside, I was chaos.Suddenly, all th

ave to work with-or under. And now, I couldn't just forget him. I couldn't run from what happened