Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“Don’t worry, she will.”
I questioned him with my gaze.
“She’s not stupid. She knows how lucky she’d be to land a guy like you. A Toussaint.”
“Beaufort,” I corrected.
“I respect your allegiance to your mother, but she’d want us all to bear the same last name. We’re the Toussaint men, and you should be proud of that.”
I looked away.
“If Camille forgives you, is that the end of your diamond business?”
“Unfortunately.” I looked at my father again.
“She asked you to sacrifice it.”
“No…but I won’t repeat your mistakes.” I wouldn’t put my woman in danger—ever. “I’ll find another business, a moral one, something above the table, something that involves paying taxes.”
He stared at me across the table, his fingertips on the stem of his glass. “Good for you, Cauldron.”
I’d expected him to admonish me, so this was a surprise.
“The time I had with your mother…was the best in my life. Then she gave me a son, a son whom I loved more than anything else in the world. Our time together as a family was brief, but it was wonderful. I’m happy for you. And I’m happy you’ve learned from my mistakes.”
31
ELISE
I held my head high and moved on. I took care of my kids, ran the house, did it all with a smile on my face.
But I was dead inside.
I hadn’t talked to Jerome about a new client. I had enough money that missing a couple paydays wouldn’t be a big deal. When I was this heartbroken, I couldn’t put up a good front anyway. Some man would pay a fortune for my time—and he would be deeply disappointed.
As I expected, Grave didn’t contact me.
He ripped my heart out and walked away…like it was nothing.
If I’d just kept my mouth shut, he would still be mine.
I’d had the perfect man, and I could have had him so much longer if I’d just bottled all those pretty feelings inside. If I’d just ignored the elephant in the room instead of throwing it in his face. A part of me regretted my actions, but another part of me knew this was inevitable. My feelings became too heavy. My love too complicated. If I went down this road any further, it would just hurt more in the end.
Even though it was hard to believe it could hurt any more than this…
When a week came and went without a text or call, I suspected I would never hear from him again.
He didn’t even check on me.
But I told myself it was better this way. If we spoke, the process would start all over. It would be like picking at a scab that had just healed. My best therapy was staying so busy I didn’t have time to think about him. That meant taking my kids out after school, hitting the gym morning and night, making sure I didn’t have a spare minute to wonder what Grave was doing.
Who he was fucking.
But when I lay in bed to fall asleep, that was when the loneliness hit me—and the longing. I pictured his face so clearly, it was like he was right in front of me. Those chocolate-colored eyes. That enormous physique. The way he smiled only slightly. His deep voice and the way it rumbled inside his chest. He was a real man, and I would never find one like that again.
I started to cry…again.
“God, I’m so pathetic…” I sniffled and wiped away the tears. Then my phone vibrated on the nightstand, and the glow lit up my dark bedroom.
I went still. My heart was like a hammer against my ribs. The adrenaline was fierce. No one texted me this late at night.
No one except him.
I reached for the phone and looked at the message.
How are you? I heard his voice in my head as I read it, deep and powerful, with a hint of sincerity.
I read those three words a dozen more times.
I didn’t type back. What was I supposed to say? I cry every day and I’m utterly miserable? Thanks for asking… I chose not to say anything at all. It would just refuel a fire that had finally gone out.
If it helps…I’m pretty fucked up.
Moisture built up in my eyes, slowly forming a thin film over my gaze. I didn’t blink for a long time because when I did, I’d start to cry again…and I’d just stopped. Please leave me alone, Grave. It was hard to send that message, but it was for the best.
He didn’t text me again.
I returned from the grocery store and carried all the bags into the house. They were full of snacks and drinks for the kids, string cheese and frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Cabinets opened and closed, the refrigerator beeping because I left it wide open. So absorbed in what I was doing, I gave a jump when I heard a knock on the door. “Jesus…” With my hand over my heart, I walked across the living room and into the foyer. I had one of those doors made of frosted glass, so I could see the outline of someone on the other side. It was a man—a big man.