CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Zach
“I hope you’re happy now. I hope this will help you find peace.”
I stared at the photo I’d taken of her, studying her tattoo. Her red skin beneath it. The tears on her face. The despair in her eyes.
“You don’t look satisfied.”
I looked back at the tattoo artist. “That’s not your problem.”
“You’re right. It’s not. I fulfilled my end of the deal. Can I count on you to keep quiet and not rat me out to the IRS?”
“Of course,” I snarled through my teeth and tossed a couple of one-hundred bills on the counter.
It hadn’t been that hard to find someone with a weakness who would bring my plan to fruition.
It took just a bit of digging to find out that one call to the IRS would put this guy in real trouble.
It helped that he lacked a moral compass too.
Now I wanted nothing more than to be done with him.
“I told you I wouldn’t—if you keep quiet about this as well. We never met, got it?”
“Sure.”
Without another glance, I strode out of his shop, needing to be far away from there.
The guy was right—I was supposed to be happy. I was supposed to be on fucking cloud nine. This was what I’d wanted. To see Blair defeated like this, to give her exactly what she deserved. To leave her stuck in the burning darkness just like me.
After all this time, I finally achieved that.
So why the fuck did I feel so unsatisfied? After everything I’d poured into my revenge, after every second of agony she’d put me through, I only felt like breaking something. Why?
Why, why, why?
“Why?!” I smacked my fist into the nearest wall, leaving a trail of blood on the surface.
I should be celebrating. She would never recover from this. Everyone would remember her for who she really was. It would follow her wherever she went.
I hit the wall again.
She would have to suffer endless humiliation and insults.
I hit it again.
She would have to look at her tattoo every day and be reminded of my punishment.
I sent another punch. And another. And another. Leaving more blood behind. Seeing red.
“Fuck!” I kicked the wall and slumped down against it, tugging at my hair. I pulled my phone out and looked at her photos in my gallery, and every one of them only increased my rage.
How much lower could I fall?
She deserved this. Not only for what she’d done to me, but also for managing to twist me around her finger and almost making me mess up everything. I’d fallen for her “nice girl” act, when she’d always been a rotten skank who cared only about herself, so why the fuck did I feel this way?
And why the fuck was I so jealous? I was so fucking jealous even now I wanted to hurt that man for ever laying hands on what was mine.
Mine. Yeah, right.
I clenched my hand around my phone, resisting the urge to fling it at the ground.
She’d never been mine. And after today, I wouldn’t ever have to see her again.
Something painful tugged at me at that, but I ignored it. I stood and headed for my bike, which I’d parked nearby. My bloodied knuckles were throbbing. I’d have to ice them.
The bustling sounds of the town surrounded me as I pulled out of the parking lot and zoomed down the streets that led to Blair’s house, making my last trip to that place.
I planned to get my things and leave right away.
I wasn’t going to waste my time giving her father any notice. He wouldn’t be able to track me anyway.
The air-conditioned foyer was a stark contrast to the outside temperature as I stepped in.
I looked upstairs, then tore my gaze away, starting for my room.
I didn’t want to think about what Blair could be doing now.
I didn’t even think about how I’d fucked her in that tiny bed as I packed all my stuff in my duffel bag.
And I certainly didn’t think about how I’d never get to feel her against me again as I exited my room and crossed over to the front door.
“Tom? Where are you going?” Emily’s voice reached me from behind.
Shit.
I turned to face her. “I’m leaving.”
“Leaving? Why? Did something happen?”
“No, nothing happened. It’s just that I have no more reason to be here.”
Her brows rose then lowered. If she thought my choice of words was strange, she didn’t voice it. “And you thought to just leave without saying goodbye?”
I switched my duffel bag from one hand to the other. “It’s better this way.”
“Why?”
“It’s complicated.”
She lowered her gaze. “I see.”
I sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t. Just know that I’m really glad that I’ve met you. You made my stay here more pleasant.”
She smiled, running her hand up and down her arm. “I’m glad I’ve met you too. Maybe we can see each other again sometime?”
I didn’t like how hopeful she looked, and I shook my head. “I’m afraid not. As I told you, I’m not ready for a relationship. Or hookups.” Blair’s face appeared in my mind, but I suppressed it.
She nodded. “Sure. It’s okay. It was worth a try.”
“Take care, Emily.”
“You too.”
I looked down at her ankle, which was almost completely healed now. “And consider looking for a new job. This place . . . these people are everything that’s wrong with society. You deserve something better.”
She offered me a small smile. “Thank you. I’ll think about that.”
I smiled back at her and glanced upstairs one last time. My chest expanded on a sharp breath as I imagined Blair standing there. And then I cut that shit down.
“Goodbye.” I stepped outside and closed the door, closing this chapter of my life too.
I’d always imagined what the moment when I finally left Blair would feel like. I’d always thought it would taste so sweet.
But it only tasted bitter, making me feel that by leaving her, I was leaving something very precious behind as well.