10. Roman
ROMAN
T he bedroom door stays open far longer than it should.
And I’m sitting here waiting.
I’ve never been good at waiting for anything.
Business deals are done on my timeline. People fall in line on my schedule, marionettes on strings that play what I want them to, when I want them to, how I want them to. I’ve never waited for my targets. I’ve stalked, manipulated, and moved mountains when I’ve needed to.
But now…now I wait.
Sitting on the edge of the bed in the driver’s quarters above the garage. Safely away from the temptation of taking Ivy into my arms and demanding her obedience. I’m staring at that stupid note on the screen I’m holding, and my own handwriting is mocking me.
YOUR CHOICE
It’s taunting me, telling me I’ve given her the choice that she’s going to take.
I thought that she’d see the open door.
That she’d see the obsessive way I need her.
That she’d feel the desire coursing through my veins when I even breathe the same air.
I thought…
Footsteps sound on the tablet. Followed by silence.
I don’t take a breath. I can’t fucking breathe.
And then I watch her step into the kitchen.
Mine.
My brain and heart scream together, demanding that I take her. That I end this ridiculous farce. She can’t leave.
“She won’t leave.” I whisper the prayer like it’s the truth.
Then I watch.
She takes the envelope with shaking hands. The ID. The keys. That goddamn necklace from her childhood. All of it.
“She won’t leave.”
I don’t know who I’m trying to convince.
I’m watching her walk away.
But I don’t crack.
Not until I hear the sound of the engine turning over.
The crunch of gravel under the tires.
She’s leaving.
No.
She’s gone.
At first, there’s nothing but the buzzing static where my thoughts should be. My chest is too tight, my jaw clenched so hard I can hear my teeth grinding.
Until everything breaks.
I throw the tablet, watching numbly as it shatters against the mirror on the wall. But that’s not enough.
I grab the bedding and pull, tearing apart the room as though it’s what failed me.
I ruin it.
The way Ivy ruined me.
Because for the first time in my entire fucking life I gave someone a choice.
I asked her to choose.
And she did.
But she didn’t choose me.