The tears come strong and fast. I mutter between heaving breaths, “Antonio? Antonio Falco?”
Nodding slowly, he searches my face for a long moment before he crosses his legs and makes himself comfortable. “In my mind, you were this little fucking bitch. Some stupid asshole who couldn’t mind her own business. And I promised myself that I would find you and fucking own you. All because you helped me. You gave me hope in a fucked up world. And when that hope dwindled and died, I was bitter. I am bitter. It was your fault I ever fucking had dreams. Dreams I never should’ve had, Lexi.” Closing his eyes, his voice softens a little. “Then I couldn’t find you. You weren’t anywhere. I had all this money. All these resources at my fingertips, and I couldn’t find you.”
His eyes open and he glares at me. “It’s as if you were hiding from me. Mocking me. Telling me I couldn’t have you. And no one says no to me, Lexi. If they do, they change their minds pretty fucking quick enough, or they die. Simple as that.”
Why aren’t you leaving?
Because it’s cutting me so deeply that I need to hear it to the end. Twitch might just get his wish after all.
Straightening a little, he removes his cufflinks and places them next to him on the desk. “So I hired someone who wouldn’t fail. And it cost me that first million, Lexi. Nox is the best at what he does, and he didn’t find you…for a fucking year. So that just made me madder.” His eyes flash. “So when I finally got that call, I was pissed. He tells me you’d been living in Australia for a few months and that your foster mom was dying. See, that should’ve made me feel bad, but it didn’t, because if you were alone, I could manipulate you more easily. I thought maybe it would only take a few dinners and me being sweet to you to make you fall. Boy, was I wrong!”
My brain is on freeze. “Wh-what happened then?”
Crossing his arms, he breathes deeply and replies through an exhale. “You were independent. And sweet. And fucking cute. You got educated all by yourself. You didn’t even need my money. At least, I don’t think it would’ve made you happier. And I felt something the first second I sat back and watched you from under my hood.”
Me too.
He dips his chin. “And you did too. I know you did.” Lifting his suddenly-tired face to mine, he utters warily, “I wasn’t meant to fall for you. You were just going to be a toy for me. Nothing more, nothing less. I was going to humiliate you whenever I could, just because I could. Make you realize that hope means shit. I was gonna make you do horrible things, all for my pleasure.”
Don’t want to listen to anymore. Let’s go.
Standing on shaky legs, I turn and walk to the door.
That’s when he says it.
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. If it weren’t for you, I’d be in jail. Or dead. I don’t know which one’s worse. But you saved me.” He sounds disappointed in himself when he whispers, “Wasn’t meant to fall for you.”
The tears start to fall, my breath hitches, and I turn the knob.
His voice sounds from behind me, cruel and taunting. “Good riddance. Knew you’d be trouble from the second I hired that street rat to rape you.”
Walking away, I mentally hear glass cracking under my feet because I step right over my shattered heart.
His words should halt me. They should’ve made me angry. Made me want to fight.
But there’s no fight left in me.
I’m done.
Done with this relationship. Done with settling for someone who doesn’t want me or love me. Done with the lies and hiding things.
I am done.
My heart isn’t breaking. There’s nothing left of it to break. I’m hollow.
My mind replays what Twitch just said.
Knew you’d be trouble from the second I hired that street rat to rape you.
A sob bursts out of me as I try to escape Falcon Plastics. Funnily enough, Ling catches me off guard waiting by the lift. Her face a mixture of worry and sadness, “He break up with you?”
I spit, “Fuck off, you dumb whore.”
She sighs and leans by the lift door. “If he broke up with you…” She straightens, then starts to walk away. “…then there’s a good reason for it.”
Dismissing her cryptic message, the lift opens and I feel him at my back.
He sounds desperate. “You’ll take the next lift. We need to talk.”
His hand tries to capture mine, but I pull away. “Nothing left to say.”
Stepping into the empty lift behind me, the doors close and he whispers, “Thought I could do it. Thought I could let you go. But…but I can’t.” My anger spikes. “Soon as I saw you walk away, something snapped inside of me. I-I didn’t mean it. I panicked. Please talk to me.”
Without turning to him, I ask, “Did you really hire that man?”
He replies immediately, “Yes.” My gut sinks and he adds urgently, “But he wasn’t meant to take it that far. And he’s dead now. So it doesn’t matter. I saved you.”