40. Chloe
CHAPTER FORTY
CHLOE
NOW
Iexcuse myself into the room Ryker dropped my bag in, closing the door behind me and allowing myself to take deep, calming breaths.
I’m exhausted.
Today has been…emotional and terrifying. A wild fucking ride from start to finish.
I ate a quick dinner that Ronan threw together, and true to his word, when I was in the cellar, he still couldn’t cook to save his life.
The spaghetti wasn’t quite cooked through, and the sauce was a little cold, but I ate it without comment, knowing once my belly was full I could retreat.
I’ve never been more confused and conflicted about my own emotions than I am right now, and although I haven’t seen Damon since he stormed outside an hour ago, I know it’s because of him more than anyone.
As shitty as the things he said about me were, they didn’t come from a place of hatred, and I’m starting to wonder if they ever did.
Was his cruelty toward me a way to protect himself back then?
I shake off the thought and pull out an oversized shirt I’ve taken to sleeping in.
There’s no justification for how Damon has treated me, and I refuse to excuse any of his shitty behavior.
Slipping into bed, I turn onto my side and flick off the light, making the room fall into complete darkness.
The quiet is deafening out here. No cars in the distance. No appliances humming. Outside these walls there’s nothing but wilderness for miles, and I’m as comforted by that as I am unnerved.
There’s also the worry that the four men on the other side of the door are going to kill each other while I’m not there as a buffer, but I try not to let that thought get to me.
They’re adults, and the fact that they’ve gotten into multiple arguments in the brief time they’ve spent together is their own issue to work through.
Or at least that’s what I tell myself.
I should be reveling in my alone time after an emotionally charged day, but I find myself missing them now there’s a door between us, and that’s all I need to know I’m fucked.
Because there’s no reality where I have a happily ever after with all four of them, and that means I’m destined to have my heart broken into four pieces.