Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Romeo
Ishould call Ivy. Ask her to come back. I should give her a chance to explain without accusing her of the using me.
I used her too. I shouldn’t be so upset.
It was a fair trade. But I don’t want it to be fair. I want both of us to have fucked up.
So I don’t call her.
I let her take some part of me with her.
The second she’s out of sight, I feel it. The loss of her laugh, her scent, her warmth.
This is the end. Or something like it.
She can make sure she never sees me again. If that’s what she really wants.
Is it?
The thought guts me, but I try to push it aside. I should be angry. She deceived me. I try to hold onto that, to find some righteous anger.
But I’m not mad.
It would be easier if I was. It would be easier if I hated her for telling the whole world about our time together.
But I don’t.
If things were different, I’d be proud.
So why does this hurt so much?
She exercised her right. How can I fault her?
And this—
Well, it was a matter of time.
I march upstairs, and I knock on Daniel's door.
I expect my brother to greet me with a frown and a shake of his head. Really, Romeo, sex work? Could you be any lower?
I take a deep breath and step into the room, ready to explain myself. Listen, I know this isn't what you want for me. I know I've taken this easy path, relied on my body, put off my future—
But he doesn't answer the door with shame.
No. There's something totally foreign on his face.
Pride.
He's standing there, with the article up on his iPad, his dark eyes filled with curiosity, his lips curled into a smile.
"And all this time, I thought you were lazy…" He shakes his head at himself and motions for me to come inside. "But you built something. A business. A successful business out of nothing."
I do.
He shuts the door. "Take me through it."
"She did hire me after her divorce," I say. "That was true."
"No. Not your relationship." He laughs. "The finances. How does it work. When did it start? Tell me everything."
So, I do.
And when we're done, he calls his lawyer, and tells him to file the papers for our business right away.
This is what he's really been waiting for.
Proof I can run a business. He’s even willing to put up my half if Mom doesn’t hand out my inheritance early.
Ivy outed me.
And it got me everything I ever wanted.