Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
The highway is rather empty. It’s almost seven in the evening, and given that it’s a school night, I’m going back to the academy to try and figure out how to deal with Cassia’s bullshit once and for all.
Not only does the cunt have a tracker on me, but I’m confident she’s bugging my phone, too because whatever I say to Aiden, Elias, or Kenzo somehow goes back to her.
And I highly doubt any of them would tattle on me to the bitch.
Which makes all of this more difficult. I even got a new, secret phone that I intended to use to contact Sophia, but Cassia was a fucking step ahead of me.
I went to see my father for lunch, and ever since I left the restaurant, a car’s been following me. I don’t recognize it, and it’s far enough so I wouldn’t be able to see the driver’s face. Whoever it is, they’re driving like it’s their first time behind the wheel.
It’s the only vehicle behind me, and without thinking too much about it, I hit the brakes, stopping in the middle of the road. The car behind me almost bumps into me, and as I slide out of the driver’s seat, my breath catches in my throat.
A furious-looking Sophia storms out of her car, her anger barely concealed. But fuck me, it’s been a while since I’ve seen her this close, and she’s as beautiful as I remember her being.
“What the fuck, Ford?” She screams in my face, and my heart sinks to my feet at the sound of my surname on her lips. I thought we were past that, but then I remember what I did, and I don’t have any right to act hurt or surprised.
“You’re the one who’s not supposed to be driving. You don’t even have a driver’s license. You’re the one who’s been following me, Sloane.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” Sophia steps forward, jabbing a finger in my chest. It’s such a small, simple touch, yet it almost makes me spiral.
But I can’t. I have to do this; it’s all for her.
If I could prove that Cassia’s not tracking and bugging my phone and car, I’d tell Sophia everything right now. However, I won’t risk it.
Hurting her is better than ruining her life.
“Then what do you mean, Sloane?”
“I meant,” she grits out. “Why? Why did you just stop talking to me, Ford? Why are you hanging out with Cassia all of a sudden, and most importantly — what the fuck did I do wrong?”
The hurt in her voice matches the painful expression on her face. It takes all the inner strength I can muster not to fall to my knees and beg for forgiveness. With a clench of my jaw, I push her finger off my chest.
“Look, Sloane, it was fun while it lasted, but that’s all I was looking for — fun.”
Her expression falters, and the raw ache, vulnerability, and sorrow on her face make me hate myself. This has to be one of the most painful things I’ve ever done in my life, and no matter how much I try to justify it, I can’t. I’m ruining her in all the ways I never intended to.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” I swallow thickly, stepping back. “I wanted to fuck you, and I did. You let me. I told you I was going to ruin you, didn’t I? And I just happened to get bored with you quicker than I thought I would. Sorry.”
“Sorry,” she repeats slowly. “You’re sorry?”
“Look, Sloane—”
Sophia cuts me off with a deep, bitter laugh. Her eyes swell with tears, and she glances down at her hand. She’s wearing the sapphire ring I got for her, and she twists it so the gem is facing the inside of her palm. Then, without a warning, her hand connects with my cheek.
The sharp gem pierces through my skin, blood dripping down my cheek. The sound of her palm connecting with my skin echoes around us, my head turning to the side.
Good. I fucking deserve this, and so much more.
When I look back at Sophia, she takes the ring off and throws it away. I don’t even care where it lands, and she’s looking at me with so much fucking hatred, and so much pain that her body starts trembling.
“You’re a fucking bastard,” she grits out, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you, but I went against my better judgment and allowed myself to fall for your trap.”
“No one forced you,” I scoff. “You did everything willingly, Princess.”
The sarcasm in the nickname only ticks her off further, and I’m glad. She should hate me, and she should continue to hate me so fucking much. I never deserved her, and I’ll make sure she gets the chance to let go of all the anger toward me eventually.
“You’re right,” she steps back a little. The tears never stop falling, and my heart sinks to my feet. God, I hate seeing her like this. And it’s all my fault. “But I promise you, Ford, I’ll make sure you regret it all. I’ll fucking ruin you, and you won’t see it coming.”
“Go ahead, Princess,” I snap. “Do your fucking worst because let’s be real, this has to be one of your poorest attempts at attention seeking, just like always. God forbid someone plays with the almighty Sophia Sloane the same way she toys with people, right?”
“What?”
“You heard me,” I take a small step forward.
Her sweet scent hits my nose, and my resolve almost falters.
But when I remember that her entire future is at stake, I shake it all off.
“You’re a hypocrite, Sloane. The worst of them all.
And I played you like a fucking fiddle. How does it feel, hm? To be used like a toy?”
“I hate you,” she says, but the pain on her face only intensifies.
“Good, you should fucking hate me.”
Something flicks in her eyes, but it’s gone before I can figure out what it is. She looks me up and down a handful of times, then takes another step back.
“No wonder your family sees you as a disappointment, Soren. After all, if your own mother can’t love you, how could I?”
The words sting, and I know she fucking means them.
She’s looking at me like she just took off her rose-colored glasses and is finally able to see through me.
She doesn’t say anything else, and there’s no need to.
Everything’s been said already, and we went from being so close to a proper couple back to enemies.
Just like we once were.
And that’s good. Because the longer she focuses on all the reasons to hate me, she’ll hurt less.
Sophia enters the car again and starts driving off. I suck in a sharp breath, my entire body trembling from pure fucking rage, and I can barely see clearly. Then, the cunt decides it’s the perfect time to message me, and it’s the clearest confirmation I’ve ever had.
“You handled that well.”
However, what I don’t expect is to get an email notification from Sinners and Saints, and my entire body goes rigid, blood running cold in my veins. Because for a brief moment, I underestimated Cassia’s deprived brain, and when I see that she leaked one image of Sophia, all I see is fucking red.