31. Amara
Chapter thirty-one
Amara
T he apartment is quiet. Too quiet. The only sounds are the faint hum of the fridge and Pumpkin clawing at the cat tree I bought for her… with Nicholas’s card, of course.
He left for work a couple of hours ago, and it’s ridiculous how much I already miss him. We woke up in bed together—like we do every morning—and he crawled between my legs, making my eyes roll to the back of my head as he ate my pussy for breakfast until my legs were shaking. And then he got in the shower, got dressed and kissed me long enough to make me forget how to think straight before he told me to stay home today while he took care of things at work.
I smirk to myself at the reminder. Dating the boss has its perks. The thought pops into my mind, making my smile drop. We’re not dating. This engagement isn’t real. It’s a contract, a means to an end, nothing more. I keep repeating that in my head, day after day, like a mantra that’s supposed to protect me from heartbreak.
But I feel a strange whirling in my chest. It’s getting harder to hide my feelings for him, when I wake up in his bed every morning, tangled in his sheets, his arm heavy around my waist, holding me against him.
He doesn’t let me sleep in the guest room anymore. Not that I’m complaining. I’ve stopped trying to argue about it. The way he clutches me to him, burying his face in the crook of my neck until we both drift off, makes it impossible. It’s addictive, the way he holds me, like he can’t bear to let me go.
My phone buzzes on the coffee table, jolting me out of my thoughts. I reach for it, half expecting a message from Nicholas, even though he’s probably neck-deep in meetings by now. Instead, it’s from my sister.
Annie :
Loved seeing you this weekend. Nanna’s doing great with the new nurse. Thank Nicholas for me. He seems like a really good guy. I’m really happy for you.
A smile tugs at my lips as our weekend away at home flashes in my mind. I can’t remember seeing my grandma so happy for me before, so charmed by a guy. It felt so natural, so easy, like he wasn’t just pretending to be my fiancé, like this whole thing wasn’t a charade.
But it is .
Once Nicholas gets what he wants, I’ll leave this place. I’ll leave him. And there’s nothing I can do about it.
I’ll have to deal with the heartbreak. They’ll feel sorry for me, and Grandma will probably shake her head and say she knew it was too good to be true.
And I’ll have to nod along, pretending I didn’t know that too. Pretending it doesn’t hurt as much as it does.
I’ve known this was coming from the moment I signed that contract. I shouldn’t feel sad about it… but the thought of walking away still makes my chest ache.
I shake my head, trying to dislodge the growing lump in my throat. My nose tingles as tears threaten to form, but I force them back. Crying over something that isn’t real is pointless. I reach for my phone again, ready to text Annie back, when another buzz makes the screen light up.
But it’s not Annie this time.
It’s Liam.
My ex.
The air leaves my lungs as I stare at his name, a name I’ve been trying to forget for months. Against my better judgment, I open the message.
Liam :
Saw the pictures of you and him.
My heart pounds. I hover over the block button, my thumb twitching, but then another message comes through.
Liam :
You look so beautiful.
I furrow my brows, my stomach twisting. I can’t remember the last time Liam called me beautiful. Certainly not in the last year of our relationship. Not after he started pulling away, finding excuses to stay late at work, his affection dwindling until it was almost nonexistent. And now, suddenly, he decides to say it when I’m with another man?
I see he’s typing and my stomach churns.
Liam :
Can I see you? I really need to talk to you.
My chest tightens, memories of Liam crashing over me. I should ignore him. Block his number and forget he ever existed. But… he was someone I thought I’d marry. Someone I loved. Someone I spent years of my life with.
He also cheated on you .
My phone dings with another text.
Liam :
Please, Amara. I need to see you.
I suck in a breath. There were so many things left unsaid, so many questions I never got answers to.
My fingers hover over the keyboard, and before I can stop myself, I type:
Me :
What do you want to talk about?
The reply comes almost instantly.
Liam :
I think we should talk in person. I’m outside your apartment.
My brows furrow, and my eyes dart to elevator doors as if expecting to see him standing there.
Me :
How do you know where I live?
Liam :
I still have your location on my phone.
Let me come up. Please.
I stare at the message, my thoughts spinning. I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to talk to him. I don’t want to look into his eyes and remember what I used to love about him, knowing someone else saw it too.
Me :
I don’t think that’s a good idea. Nicholas will be home soon.
Liam :
All I need is a few minutes. Please.
My jaw clenches, and I pace the living room, glancing at the screen, half-tempted to tell him to go to hell. But then I find myself typing one word.
Me :
Okay.
The seconds stretch into an eternity as I pace the living room, my phone clutched tightly in my hand. I don’t know why I agreed. Closure, maybe. Or a reminder of why I left.
The elevator doors open and I stop pacing as I glance toward them, seeing Liam standing there, looking both familiar and foreign. He’s thinner than I remember, his jawline sharper, his hair scruffy in a way that used to make me weak in the knees. But now? Now all I see is the man who broke me.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” he says, his bright blue eyes scanning my face. “You look really good, Amara.”
“What do you want, Liam?” My voice is sharper than I thought it would be considering I was in love with him a few months ago.
He licks his lips, taking a step closer. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“About what?” I shake my head, crossing my arms over my chest. “You said everything you needed to say that day. We have nothing else to talk about.”
He nods, looking down at his feet for a moment before meeting my eyes again. “I know I fucked up, okay? I know. I… I thought I needed something different—someone different—but I was wrong. I was so wrong, Amara.” He steps closer, and I take a step back, his proximity suffocating. “I want you back.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Of course I’m serious. I told you I made a mistake, but I know what I want now. You can stop playing this game now and come back to me.”
My stomach churns. “Playing this game?” I repeat.
“Yeah,” he scoffs, his eyes narrowing. “Playing hard to get. Trying to make me jealous by fucking your boss.” His eyes scan the penthouse. “We both know Nicholas Blackwood will never end up with someone like you. This is just a phase. He’ll get bored and leave you. Come back to me, Amara. We can spend the rest of our lives together. Just like you wanted.”
I can feel my heart race, my pulse hammering in my ears. I take another step back as he reaches out for me. “Wanted,” I say. “Past tense. I don’t want that anymore. Especially not with you. I’m engaged to Nicholas, and whatever happens between us isn’t any of your business, Liam. You need to leave.”
Liam’s face hardens, his eyes narrowing. “I need to leave?” He steps closer, his jaw clenching. “You act like you’re some kind of saint, giving me shit for cheating, when you did the exact same thing.”
“Excuse me?” I say, my eyes widening at the audacity.
“You were working for Nicholas while we were together,” he points out, a sneer curling his lips. “And a week after we break up, you two are engaged? Don’t stand there and pretend like you didn’t open your legs for him when we were still together.”
My whole body stiffens, but I don’t back down. “Get out,” I say firmly, every inch of me resisting the urge to break down. I won’t cry over him anymore. He isn’t worth it.
Liam’s face tightens with disgust as he steps into my space. “Don’t play innocent, Amara. You want to know why I fucked someone else?” His eyes scan me coldly. “You were boring.” I suck in a breath at the cruelty in his voice. “You were so fucking vanilla and predictable. You think you’re some kind of catch?” he sneers. “I couldn’t fucking stand the thought of touching you anymore. Fucking you was a chore. You didn’t even come .”
My chest tightens, but before I can speak, a deep voice cuts through the room. “She’s never had that issue with me.”