Page 85 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

I holster my weapon before pressing her once more. “Amber! What the fuck are you doing in my home?!”

“This isn’t your home, Mav! You belong in Hydetown with me!”

Ugh. I roll my eyes, turning away from her as I massage my temples. “Amber,” I spin back to face her, “get the fuck out of my house right now.”

“No.” She arches her brow as she stands her ground, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Amber!” I advance toward her to drag her out. “I swear to fu—” My words are suddenly cut off when I’m distracted by something on her hand. For a moment I think I’m hallucinating. There’s no way this bitch could ever be that stupid. Not unless she has a death wish, and Amber’s always been about self-preservation.

I come closer, my eyes glued to the cushion cut diamond on her ring finger, my mind becoming more unhinged with every step. I’m about three steps away when she realizes how badly she’s fucked up. She slowly lowers her arms to her side, but my gaze remains fixed on J’s engagement ring. Jaw clenched so hard I’m about to crack a fucking tooth, my eyes snap up to find hers wide with fear.

She bolts.

She doesn’t make it far.

I’ve got her by the arm, spinning her into the wall where my body comes to crowd hers. My hands travel up to rest around her throat.

“Take. It. Off.” My hands start to tremble as I fight the urge to squeeze.

“I knew it. It was for her, wasn’t it?” she asks, lip curled up in disgust as a tear escapes down her right cheek.

“It sure as shit wasn’t for you. Take it off!” I snap.

“WHAT MAKES HER SO FUCKING SPECIAL?!” Amber loses it, screaming in my face.

I release her neck as my rage boils over. Desperate for an outlet, I punch the wall twice to the right of her head, leaving a large hole in the sheetrock. “TAKE THE FUCKING RING OFF, AMBER!”

“Here!” she spits as she rips it from her boney-ass hand and thrusts it into my chest. She shoves at me, and I step back, still not trusting myself to be in such close proximity with this fucking psycho when my anger’s at its peak.

She glares at me, hatred burning out of her eyes. “You never even gave us a chance.”

“I never promised you a chance, you stupid junkie cunt! I promised you a house, a car, and money. The whole fucking gold-digger package. You were fine signing on for that.”

“Because I thought you’d finally come around! But I can’t compete with the memory of her you have built up in your head.”

I scoff, my palms digging into my eyes at the realization of how insane she is. Turning to face her head on, I spell it out for her. “Listen to me, you stupid bitch. There is no competition. It is her. It has always been her. It will always be her.” She winces slightly at my words, though I continue. “If she never comes back to me, I still wouldn’t love you. I despise you. I wouldn’t fuck you with somebody else’s dick. And if I could go back to the day I threw my whole fucking life away, I would have told her right then and there it was a lie. A moment of temporary insanity. Because there’s no way I could ever want you when I could have her.”

Finn’s right, what am I doing? What the fuck am I doing? I need my girl. Fuck Yuri, Enzo, Nicky. Fuck it all. Whatever comes our way, I’ll protect her. She’s strong enough. My Queen is strong enough to survive this life, but I’m sure as shit not gonna make it much longer without her.

“I want you out of the Cathedral by end of day. I’ll text Finn. If your shit isn’t out by six, it’s getting torched in the backyard. Do not call me. Do not text me. Stay the fuck out of my clubs, away from me, and away from my future wife. You understand me?”

Her eyes narrow, the anger radiating from her as she makes her way wordlessly over to the front door. Amber scoops her bag up from the table as she passes. With one hand on the doorknob, she turns back to face me. “You really think she could ever forgive you? You’re delusional, Maverick. You’re dreaming if you think that’s even a possibility.”

“I’d rather spend eternity dreaming of her, than spend one more waking second with you.”

Amber’s mouth forms a thin tight line as she sharply inhales through her nose, steadying her emotions. “Well, Mav, I hope those dreams are super vivid considering there’s no longer anything else in this place to remember her by.” She rips open the door, storming through and slamming it in her wake.

I stand alone in the living room, dissecting what she said when suddenly, it dawns on me. My head snaps to the right, and before I know it, I’m rushing down the hall to the guest room. The door’s cracked when I reach it and my heart sinks in my chest, already knowing what I’m going to find.

I push it open, the bottom scraping against broken shards of glass as I enter. They crack beneath my boots as I survey the damage before me.

My pictures. My memories of my happiest moments with Jonsie. That fucking bitch shattered them all. Glass is strewn everywhere, along with shards of wood that splintered off when she smashed the frames. The images once contained inside lay shredded in no recognizable manner, the tattered pieces scattered throughout the room.

“FUCK!” I scream out into the space.

Storming out down the hall, I make my way through the kitchen, shoving the sliding glass door open and exiting onto the balcony. I pull the ring from my pocket. Giving it one final glance, I hurl it as far as I can, losing sight of it as it plummets ten stories down.

I would never put something that’s been tainted by that disgusting cunt on my Queen’s finger. We’ll start over. I’ll find something better.

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