Eruption - Chapter 28 #3
"Yeah, you are." I pulled off the lid to the box I had left on the counter.
"Because you still talk to Rachel." I threw the pictures at him.
"And cheated on me during your bachelor party.
" I threw the rest of the pictures at him, the ones of him fucking some random girl and kissing Isabella in his office.
"And you loved Isabella. You lied to me.
And maybe you still do love her. You left her millions of notes saying how much you loved her.
You never left me love letters. You told me you were forced to marry her.
That you never loved her. And talking about having children with her?
Jesus, James. You never wanted that life with me.
So now I know why. Because you just liked fucking me.
You never loved me. You're a liar and a cheat. "
"Have you been following me?" He held up the picture of Rachel. "What is wrong with you?"
"That's all you have to say to me? After everything I just said? God, you did cheat on me."
"I didn't fucking cheat on you! I already told you that when I got back from my bachelor party. I would never cheat on you. I'm not the one who fucked this up. You are. This is on you."
"Fine. Throw the blame on me. I'll take it, if that's what you need. But, James..."
"What I need is for you to either tell me why you stole from me or get the hell out of my house."
"I already told you! You won't believe me. Because you trust your ex wife more than you trust me."
"Because she never needed my money! God, my parents were right the whole time. You can't trust someone who comes from nothing. All they'll want is your money."
From nothing? I didn't come from nothing. I had a family that loved me. That meant more than all the money in the world. And I thought that's what he wanted from me, to be my family. I was so wrong.
"You kept telling me not to trust Isabella and that I shouldn't talk to her.
And I was too naive to see that you were the one I shouldn't trust. So take the money you got your hands on.
But you'll never get another dime from me.
I'll blacklist your name so you can never get a marketing job in this entire city.
I'm done giving you my handouts. I'm done with you. I never want to see your face again."
"Screw you, James." My whole body was trembling.
Every venomous word that came out of his mouth broke me a little more.
"I'm giving you what you want. I'm leaving.
" I walked away from him and opened up the front door.
"Have fun finding a ten to keep your bed warm.
" I slammed the door behind me. Part of me wanted him to come after me.
To tell me he was sorry. But I knew he wouldn't. He thought I was a gold digger.
He thought I was in love with Tyler. And he didn't trust me.
I pressed the button to close the doors of the elevator. Apparently he never had.
Ian was leaning against the car when I stepped off the elevator.
I looked down at the ground, hoping he wouldn't look up as I passed him.
"Penny? Do you need a lift?"
"No, I'm good." I kept walking.
"Are you okay?" He put his hand on my shoulder.
"I'm fine." I wiped my tears away.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Let me drive you wherever you're going."
I didn't want to go to my parents' hotel room crying. I didn't want to go to Melissa and Tyler's. Not when James thought I still had feelings for him. I couldn't go to Bee and Mason's. "You don't work for me, Ian. You made that clear the other day." I pulled away from him.
"And I said I was sorry. Please, just let me take you."
"I don't have anywhere to go. And you need to be here in case James comes down. He's drunk. So, don't let him go anywhere. I don't want him to hurt himself."
Ian frowned. "Is everything okay between you two?"
I couldn't tell James that Isabella was the one who had given me Tyler's bank account number.
That she had orchestrated this fight between us perfectly.
And even if I did, he wouldn't believe me.
He trusted her way more than he trusted me.
She had him wrapped around her finger. And James had said some awful things to me.
He was drunk, but that didn't excuse it.
It was like I was hearing how he really felt about me for the first time.
And it wasn't what I had wanted to hear.
James and I certainly weren't going to fix this overnight.
The wedding wasn't going to happen. I grabbed my key out of my purse and the credit card that James had given me and handed them to Ian.
I didn't need James' money. I never needed it.
I only needed him. "Can you give these to him for me please? "
"Penny, what's going on?"
"We're done." I shook my head. "I'm done. Just don't let him go anywhere while he's drunk. I don't want anything to happen to him."
Ian nodded his head. "I'll still take you wherever you want to go. As a friend."
"It's okay, Ian. I just...I'll walk." Where the hell was I going to go?
"Where will you stay?"
"I'll figure it out. Just don't let anything happen to him." I walked away before he could ask me any more questions.