Chapter Twenty-Eight #2
The elevator doors dinged open and we were off.
He led me down Hayes’ hallway, stopped in front of his door, nabbed the keys from my hold in a flash, and opened the door without a word.
He put his hand on his gun and instructed me to wait outside while he did a sweep.
This usually took two seconds, but when I heard his familiar “What the fuck?” rumble out into the hallway, I ran inside without a second thought.
“What?” I yelled, stopping just before the kitchen island. “What is it?”
Ash stormed out from the mouth of the hall that led to Hayes’ bedroom, eyes on fire. “Margo, call the cops.”
A voice, feminine and irritated, floated from down the hall, hitting Ash’s broad shoulders. He turned to face the woman it belonged to, raising a finger to her, his jaw iron tight while I stood there, frozen and confused.
“You broke into this fucking apartment,” he growled. “I can’t wait for the cops to drag you away in fucking handcuffs. You went too far this time, Veronica.”
Veronica.
That name snapped me out of my frozen stupor, my hair flowing behind me as my Docs pounded across the floor.
I put my bags on the edge of the island with a heavy thunk and went to stand beside Ash.
To get a good look at the woman who’d treated Hayes like trash.
Just as I turned to face her, she turned her head toward me.
Her hair, a long golden brown, was curled to perfection.
Her lips, filled with Botox, were painted a red that was too dark for her complexion.
She was tall, like me, but I had at least fifty pounds on her.
The sweater dress she wore was out of place and rumpled, as if she had just thrown it on.
I watched her watch me as she ferociously adjusted herself.
When she was done, she raised her chin, looked at me like I was the shit on the bottom of her shoe, and said, “She doesn’t look like your type, Ash.
Then again, you only need a pretty pair of legs to open for you to be interested. ”
I stiffened but recovered quickly. “You’re right. I’m not his type. I’m Hayes’ type.”
The woman cocked her head to the side with a snarl, her eyes narrowing with the toxic judgment. “Excuse me?” she seethed.
“This is my boyfriend’s apartment,” I clarified plainly. When Hayes had told me about her, I was angry. At her. For him. I told myself if I ever saw her, that anger would consume me. I’d imagined painful heartbeats and my cheeks to be hot with fury.
Yet here she was, invading Hayes’ safe space, and I didn’t feel anger.
I felt pity.
She scoffed as Ash folded his arms over his chest, clearly settling in for whatever show he thought was going to happen. But there wasn’t going to be a show. My peace was something I cared about, and after a lifetime of leaving it unprotected, I wasn’t in the mood to let those walls fall again.
“Your b-boyfriend?” she spat.
I pulled out my phone, shot a text to Hayes before punching in 911. I didn’t dial, though. There was something laced throughout her southern charm “bless your heart” voice that caught my attention. Disbelief. Not in me—but in Hayes.
“Hayes cheated on me?” she barked out. “Are you—”
“Your relationship with Hayes ended nearly two years ago.” I cut her off calmly. “You’re nothing to him anymore, and this delusional attempt to somehow weasel your way back into his life isn’t just pathetic, it’s disturbing.”
My cool assessment of her only seemed to trigger her more. “You don’t know anything about our relationship!”
“You cheated on him,” I murmured, bringing my hands to my front, clasping them, digging my black nails into the tops of them to keep myself grounded. She staggered back, paling as her chest heaved with denial. “You took another man into his bed.”
“You don’t know—”
“I’m calling the cops,” I told her, inhaling a deep, steadying breath.
I had too much on my plate right now. Hayes was dealing with my crazy ex and I needed him to be gone by the time he got home.
She didn’t deserve to be in his presence, to see how beautiful he was, and how, despite her efforts, he remained unbroken by her actions.
“Hayes and I need to have a conversation,” she blurted, holding her hand out to stop me. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Are you in danger?” Ash drawled, bored and over it.
She blinked. “No.”
“Are you in need of security?”
“No.”
“Then you have nothing to discuss with my friend. Now, Margo is going to call the cops. Either they can escort you out by your knock-off designer heels, or you can leave on your own.” He paused and took a step closer. “And don’t ever set foot in Colorado or Oregon again.”
Veronica’s bottom lip wobbled. “Dela is the one who encouraged me to come.”
“Dela?” I parroted under my breath, my brows snapping together.
Ash didn’t hear me. “Then I’m sure Hayes will be having a conversation with his sister soon.”
“She is the one who told me to come! To try and reconcile with him because he needs to be happy!” she cried, stomping her foot.
“I make him happy.”
The statement flew from my tongue, firm and everlasting. Ash looked at me over his shoulder and smiled, his eyes shimmering with pride.
“Excuse me?” she hissed at me. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
“You are now,” I said and walked down the hall.
I stopped a foot from her, and behind her, I could see Hayes’ bedroom.
I pointed to the massive bed against the wall.
“He made love to me there this morning.” She flinched, but I didn’t care.
“We’re taking things slow, and he hasn’t told Dela or anyone in his family about us yet.
Then again, it’s none of their business.
” I shrugged. “I don’t push his boundaries; I just respect them.
I’m sorry his sister gave you false hope, but Veronica, after cheating on him, you have no right to harbor any shred of hope. ”
Another flinch.
Pity flared in my heart, noting the pain in her eyes.
I softened my voice. “You lost him, and it’s time you process that.
” Her eyes welled with tears, but the harsh words I expected never came.
Though I would never respect her as a person because of her infidelity against Hayes, I wished that, one day, the self-hatred in her eyes would fade.
In order for that to happen, she needed to heal. The first step was to let go of Hayes.
“Please leave,” I whispered. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Perhaps it was the gentleness of my voice that compelled her to move.
That or the shame of her actions finally had settled on her shoulders.
Regardless of what it was, she did, subtly nodding to herself, backing up to grab her purse before gently bringing it over her shoulder.
Silently, I moved out of the way and gave Ash a single nod, silent communication to let her go with mercy.
Her heels clicked as she went down the hall.
I remained where I was, watching Ash turn and follow her out.
A few moments later, the front door opened and shut.
Ash’s voice was gentle when he came back into the hall, leaning against the mouth of it. “Gotta be honest here, Margo, I didn’t expect that from you.”
“Expect what?”
“You to extend your compassion to her. Especially knowing what kind of person she is,” he answered, looking toward the front door.
“I—”
“You and Carrie…the way you have remained so gentle and loving…after everything you have been through…” He trailed off, lost in his own thoughts. “I don’t understand it.”
I gave an unsteady smile, my chest tight. “Well, Carrie just grants everyone the same mercy she knew she deserved as a child.”
His eyes were back on me. “And you?”
“I just want to be worthy enough,” I admitted. “Being kind to others helps me accept all my flaws, including the anger I’ve hoarded.”
The bear of a man was staring at me now, brow furrowed, frozen.
I shrugged. “I can be a bitch when I need to be, but being a bitch to her wouldn’t have done me any good. She’s in enough pain as it is.”
“Hayes is going to be pissed,” he noted, scratching his beard.
“Probably.”
“I’m going to hang until he gets back. I don’t like that she was here.”
I gave him a tiny smile as I turned to head into the bedroom. “Fine by me.”
Then I headed into the bathroom, took one look at myself in the mirror, and said, “I’m proud of you.”