Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
I took another step back, my eyes filling with tears. “Calloway…”
“I didn’t sleep with her. I didn’t kiss her. I never touched her, actually. I’ve been faithful to you in every way imaginable. But…she does the one thing you won’t do. I wish I could have walked away that night when I had my breakdown but I couldn’t. I needed it.”
My heart finally relaxed when I heard what he said, that he didn’t fuck her while I slept in the bed I shared with him. It was such a relief I considered sitting on the floor and enjoying that fact.
But then the pain returned.
The heartbreak.
The devastation.
“How could you do this…?” Now I couldn’t stop the tears from coming. They bubbled at the corners of my eyes before they streaked down my face. I didn’t bother wiping them away, wanting Calloway to hurt the way I was hurting.
His eyes cringed slightly, pained by what he saw. “I don’t know what to say… I needed it.”
“That’s your excuse?” I hissed. “That’s what justifies it?”
“I’m just explaining—”
“So if I needed sex because you were working late, I’d have every right to screw some other guy?”
His jaw clenched at the suggestion. “Not the same thing and you know it.”
“It is the same goddamn thing, Calloway.”
“I told you I didn’t touch her. I meant that. I just bossed her around, and she obeyed. That’s all I wanted from you, but you refused to give it to me.”
“Because I refuse to disrespect myself like that?” I hissed. “Because I refuse to bow to a man? Wasn’t that the reason you were attracted to me in the first place?”
“Yes. But I wanted to break you. I’ve always wanted to break you.”
“Well, I don’t break for anyone, Calloway. Not even you.” I headed to the door, determined to get the hell away from him once and for all. We were officially done. I could deal with his strange desires and the rough way he took me from time to time, but I could never deal with this. It didn’t matter that he didn’t touch her. It didn’t matter that he didn’t fuck her. He still shared a sexual experience with someone else.
I got the door opened and marched out, waiting for him to grab me by the wrist or the arm.
But the touch never came.
I turned around to shut the door and spotted him on the other side of the room, looking out the window of his office. His hands rested in his pockets as he examined the city below him. There was no fight in him. He had no intention of doing whatever he could to keep me.
He was letting me go.
7
Calloway
I had Tom follow her to make sure she was okay. He followed her all the way to the house then waited outside for her to finish packing her things.
I assumed that’s what she was doing.
I stayed at work until the end of the day, knowing she probably wouldn’t be there when I got home.
But there was nothing I could do about that.
I expected to feel more pain for what I’d done. I expected to feel more guilt. When those tears streaked down her cheeks, I felt terrible. But when she walked out of my office, I didn’t bother chasing her down.
I knew we were done.
In the back of my mind, I knew this was going to happen. The moment I whipped Isabella, I knew Rome and I wouldn’t last. No matter how much I tried to avoid who I really was, it never worked. The man I was deep inside would never change. I would always need domination and control. And I would always be a sadist.
It was time to accept that.
I walked home once the day was over, taking my time because there was nothing waiting for me when I arrived. I didn’t call Rome or send her a text message. I didn’t waste my time trying to talk to her.
She had every right to leave.
She should leave.
When I arrived at the house, Tom’s car was waiting at the curb. That had to mean she was still inside, gathering the rest of her things. I was surprised it was taking her so long. I hoped I’d be spared the pain of watching her leave the house one last time.
But I knew I deserved that agony.
I stepped inside and saw her bags piled in the entryway. She wasn’t in the living room, so she must have been upstairs, grabbing the rest of her things. I took a seat on the couch and waited for her to return, refusing to crowd her when she was still upset.
Fifteen minutes later, she came to the bottom of the stairs with two more bags. She didn’t notice me right away, her face stained with old tears and her eyes still puffy.