Twisted Truth (The Langford Billionaires #1)

Prologue

ELLA

The lock on the apartment door clicks. Butterflies, and not the good kind, flutter in my stomach.

I stand up from the couch, waiting, my fingers trembling slightly as I tuck a lock of my golden brown hair behind my ear.

I haven’t seen Kyle, my boyfriend, in two weeks and in those two weeks, I’ve made up my mind.

I can’t do this anymore. I’m already packed and ready to go, but this is something that needs to be done in person.

“Ella?” Kyle calls out as he walks through the door.

I stay still, gathering my thoughts as he sets his bag down next to his suitcase and hangs up his coat on a hook by the door.

He turns to me, and I take in his handsome face, wishing things could be different.

His light brown hair is smooth and his brown eyes sparkle with excitement as he smiles at me.

“Things are about to change,” he says, his voice bright.

No hello, no I missed you. But his lack of a typical greeting is not what’s giving me pause—what has me rooted with unease is his happy demeanor. His smile. I haven’t seen his smile in what feels like an eternity.

“Change?” I ask, tamping down my nerves.

He must see the hesitation and doubt on my face because he shifts his features into a placating look.

“Ella, I know things have been . . . difficult for the last little bit. I haven’t been myself. I was under a lot of stress. But that’s all behind me now.”

It’s all behind him now? After months of a broken relationship, everything is suddenly, magically better?

That’s not how things work, I want to snap at him.

But I bite my tongue. Kyle can be unpredictable at times, and while this won’t be an easy or pleasant conversation, I don’t want to hurt him, and I don’t want things to get ugly.

I’d like us to part on the best terms we can, for both of our sakes. We owe each other that much.

We’ve been together for three years, and the first two years of our relationship were a dream. I thought he was the one. A year ago I would have thought we would be engaged, possibly even married by now. But it all started to crumble last summer, and I still have no idea what caused it.

“Did you hear me, Ella?” Kyle takes two steps toward me, rubbing his hands together. “I said things are about to change. I came into a huge deal. Work hasn’t been going anywhere for a while, you know that.”

I blink at him, taken back. “I don’t, actually. You never said a word to me that you were stressed about work.”

“I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to worry you.”

So, he’d rather hurt me than tell me what’s going on with him?

It takes every last bit of patience I have to keep calm.

Not once has he even hinted at something like this.

For nine months he’s been irritable, moody, and distant with me.

And I’ve tried everything I could think of to fix it.

I tried to pull closer to him, but that only made things worse.

Then I tried to give him space. That didn’t work either.

I did my best to be the sunshine to his rain cloud, to be there for him in any way he needed, but that only annoyed him.

By winter he became outright hostile, picking at my flaws and complaining about anything and everything I did or said.

And if I asked him questions about what was going on?

Even worse. He got defensive and angry. It’s now late February, and more than ever, I’m certain there’s no hope for us on the horizon.

To say I’ve been relieved at his absence these last two weeks is an understatement.

In that time we’ve hardly communicated, and what we have exchanged has only been simple texts and nothing more.

No, “I miss yous.” No, “I love yous.” No, “I can’t wait to see yous.

” It’s clear to me that whatever love we had is long dead, and I’m done grasping at solutions.

I wish him the best, but I am well and truly done.

The complication? We live together. In his apartment. And this is New York City, where apartments are snatched up as soon as they come on the market. I’ve been apartment hunting for two weeks, and it isn’t going well.

My best friend Zahra is an angel and offered to let me crash at her place until I find something.

I’m taking her up on her offer, but it has to be for as short of a time as possible because her boyfriend, Alec, lives with her, and her apartment is so tiny there’s literally nowhere to put all of my things.

I’ll only be able to bring a couple suitcases of necessities.

So now, I have the pleasant task of not only breaking up with Kyle, but I also have to beg him to let me store most of my things here until I find somewhere to live.

I let out a long breath and mentally cross my fingers. “I would rather have been worried than hurt, Kyle. And you haven’t just been difficult lately. You’ve been awful, and you’ve hurt me too many times.”

“I know!” he says, rushing toward me, closing the last bit of space between us.

He grips me by my arms. “I’m sorry, babe.

I’ve been a total ass, but that’s all in the past. You remember my friend from work, Jake?

He’s found an amazing opportunity that’s going to change everything.

We’ve been out scouting for the last two weeks, and we finally have the pieces in place.

We’re both quitting our jobs tomorrow and starting an investment firm. We’re going all-in on it.”

Quitting his job? An investment firm? For one moment I waiver.

What if this really is a new leaf for him?

But then I mentally smack myself. No, I can’t back down now.

New businesses are a huge risk and insanely stressful.

What if it doesn’t go well? I can’t trust him to handle that stress without him taking it out on me.

I know in my gut I’ll still be his emotional punching bag.

I’ll be the one to take the brunt of his erratic behavior.

I’m happy for him that he’s found his path.

But I no longer want to walk it with him.

I hold up my hands. Here goes nothing. “Kyle, I’m really excited for you. I hope it all goes well. But we need to tal—”

“Wait,” he interrupts me, “before you say anything else, I want to tell you the best part. Jake and I agreed that we’re going to need a great team behind us, and I want you by my side for this.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want you to quit your job and come work for me. You’re amazing at marketing, and with you on our team, we’ll be unstoppable.”

“You don’t even have a company.”

“I do, we started it three months ago. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to know if it failed.

But we’re on our way now. Think about how good this will be for us.

We’ll build this thing from the ground up, together.

Plus, you’ve been complaining about work forever, anyway. You hate your job.”

“I don’t hate my job. I actually love what I do. I complain because it’s a heavy workload and can be demanding. But I can’t just quit my job on a whim for you. I have to work for something that’s sure. I don’t have the luxury of faking it till I make it.”

“You think I’m a fake?” His eyes narrow and his grip on me tightens.

I swallow hard. “No. I just have no idea what your company even is. And most new companies don’t make money for a long time. I can’t risk that.”

“But we’d take that risk together. As I said, with you by my side.”

My head spins. I step back, out of his grip. “I don’t know how to be by your side anymore, Kyle. I can’t be with someone who treats me like shit and won’t even explain why for months. I’m really happy for you, but this new venture is something you’re going to do without me.”

“This is why I didn’t tell you what was going on!” he yells. “You’re too critical. You never understand me.”

“I spent the last nine months trying to support you, trying to communicate with you, trying to help you and build you up any way I could.”

“No, you spent the last nine months nagging me.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, that’s it. Ella the nag. What a joke.”

“You think I’m a joke?”

“I didn’t say that.”

He paces back and forth for a moment before leveling a glare at me. “Here I was, excited to tell you all about my good news, and you’re ruining it. I can’t believe I thought you’d be happy for me. You’re such a bitch sometimes, Ella.”

I scoff and turn away, heading for the bedroom. I’ve had enough, and this conversation is going nowhere. I’ll have to text or call him later, when we’re both calm, about storing my things. I grab my two suitcases and wheel them out into the front room.

“What are those for?” Kyle asks, still seething.

“I-I’m done, Kyle.”

“Done with what?”

“Us. I can’t do this—us—anymore.”

He stares at my suitcases, almost shaking. “You’re breaking up with me?"

“Yes.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he roars.

“Don’t you dare yell at me! I tried. I did everything I could to be what you needed me to be, but no matter how hard I tried, it was never good enough. I’m not going to spend any more time not feeling appreciated by the person who is supposed to love me.”

“That’s bullshit! I know I haven’t been the best boyfriend lately, but before that I was pretty fucking perfect to you!”

“Yes, you were amazing, and then you shut me out and hurt me over and over again, without explanation, without any give on your part. I can’t trust that it won’t happen again. You say you’ve turned over a new leaf, but how am I supposed to believe that?”

“I promised you, didn’t I?”

“I don’t believe your promises anymore.”

“You’re not thinking clearly, Ella. And you’re not listening to what I’m saying. Things are changing, you can’t just leave when everything is about to take off. This is the start of our new life.”

“Kyle, you’re not listening. I said I’m done.”

“I’m not letting you go!” He steps in front of me.

“Enough, Kyle. It’s over.”

“It is not over!”

“Get. Out. Of. My. Way.”

He picks up a vase on the entryway table and hurls it across the room. It smashes into the wall and shatters into a thousand pieces. He grabs me by my arm and yanks me toward him.

Fear curdles in my stomach. I knew he’d be upset.

I never expected this.

“You’re hurting me, Kyle.” My voice is shaky, trembling.

I try to pull out of his grip and push past him, but his hand tightens around my arm.

“I said you’re not leaving!” My breath whooshes out of my chest from shock as he spins me around and hurls me against the wall next to the door.

Stars burst behind my eyes and pain sears through the back of my head as it slams into the wall.

My ears pop and ring, and for a moment I can’t catch my breath.

I blink for a moment and Kyle’s face comes back into view. His eyes are wide with disbelief, and he’s shouting again, but it takes a moment for me to hear what he’s saying.

“Ella! I’m so sorry!” He reaches out to help steady me.

I teeter for a second before finding my balance and scoot away from him, leaning against the wall.

“I can’t believe I did that. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!

I just lost my temper for a minute. Please forgive me.

I didn’t mean it. I would never hurt you. I didn’t mean to, I swear.”

Disbelief courses through me. Did that just really happen? Pain stings at the back of my head and my shoulder where I hit the wall, and I know I didn’t imagine it. Tears of fear and pain pool in my eyes as the reality of the situation sinks in.

After a moment, I find my voice, though it’s barely louder than a whisper. “Let me go.”

“No. I can’t do that.”

“Let me go or I’ll call the police.”

He groans. “You can’t leave me, Ella. I love you. We’re supposed to be together. Please, babe. Please.”

He’s wilting before my eyes, and I know that my window of getting past him is a narrow one, and that I have to act while I can.

I take my chance at his sudden change of behavior to yank my arm out of his grasp.

I rush past him and snatch the handle of one of my suitcases, then hurry out the door before he can grab me again.

My heart pounds in my chest as I race toward the elevator.

Kyle’s heavy footfalls and desperate apologies sound from behind me as he chases me down the hallway.

When I reach the elevator, my hand shakes violently as I hit the call button.

I turn my head over my shoulder, blinking through tears and hopping frantically from foot to foot while I wait the agonizing seconds it takes for the elevator to arrive.

Kyle stops two feet away from me, holding his hands up in apology.

“Please,” he begs. “Don’t go, Ella. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

“Leave me alone, Kyle.”

“Don’t fucking do this!” His anger is reemerging at a rapid pace, but luckily a man and woman appear at the end of the hallway and turn to look at us with cautious, concerned expressions at the spectacle we’re making. Kyle shifts nervously under their stares and takes a step back, away from me.

The doors to the elevator finally open, and I scramble inside. He tries to follow, but I shriek for him to get away.

He smacks his palm against the elevator’s door frame. “Don’t do this!”

I flinch at the sound, and the anger rolling off him, and hit the close door button frantically.

“Goodbye, Kyle.”

“Don’t do this!” he pleads.

The doors close, and I let out a sob.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Zahra’s number.

“How did it go?” she asks.

“Not good,” I say through another sob. “Not good at all.”