Page 54 of Unveiled

Without looking at Jonah, I rush through the room, headed straight for the garage.

“Ainsley!” he calls as he follows me.

“Let me leave,” I yell back to him through my tears.

As I reach the garage and pull a random set of keys off the hook by the door, I hear Jonah’s voice again. “Boss,” he greets. My heart stops as I wait to hear Cain’s voice, but the only thing I hear is Jonah launching into an abbreviated version of what just happened. I don’t need to hear this again.

With keys in hand, I dart into the garage and slam the door behind myself. As I hit the unlock button on the key fob, I see lights blink on the other side of the garage. Rushing past motorcycles I’ve never seen him ride, flashy cars I’d be terrified to drive, and practical cars that wouldn’t stand out in a parking lot, I come to the one car that brings me satisfaction to be taking.

I had nothing other than escape on my mind when I swiped the set of keys, but as the bright red Corvette fills my field of vision, a vicious smirk crosses my lips. I hope he feels the same pain I’m feeling when he realizes it’s gone.

Mentally flipping him off, I slide into the front seat and hit the garage door button. Adrenaline rushes through me as the tires squeal out of the garage and I hit the pavement of the driveway.

If any of that was true, I imagine Cain will still at least come for his car. I hope he does. If he wants to see me broken, I’ll give him the exact opposite. I’ll show him he didn’t affect me, that this was all a game to me, too.

My head throbs as the light hits my eyes, but I push through as I race down the street. It won’t take me long to get back to my apartment. Even though I won’t be safe from him there, at least I’ll be in my own space.

From my pocket, my phone lets out a shrill sound, alerting me to the call coming through. I pull it out and glance at the screen long enough to see who’s calling, even though I already know the answer.

Against my better judgment, I accept the call.

“Ainsley,” he growls through the phone, and damn my body for erupting into goosebumps at the sound.

“Go to hell,” I growl right back. I end the call before he can respond. Glancing between my phone and the road to make sure I don’t crash, I block his number.

While the drive stretches in front of me and I’m left alone with my tormenting thoughts, all I want to do is call Ethan for comfort, or even go straight to his house. But, after what I learned last night, I can’t trust him to not use this situation to his advantage. If he’s really in love with me, he might take this whole situation as a victory, seeing it as an opportunity to get to me.

I hate that those are the thoughts I have about my own best friend now. If he had only told me his feelings himself, we could have talked about it. Our relationship wouldn’t have to be weird like it is now.

Once I finally make it back to my apartment, I park his car sideways across a parking spot, hoping I get the stupid thing towed, and rush up to my door. Hesitantly, I reach for the doorknob. I didn’t take my keys with me, but I don’t remember Cain locking the door, either.

As I twist the knob, it doesn’t stop until the door is swinging open, allowing me to enter. Well, hopefully nothing was stolen while I was gone, but that’s not really on my list of concerns right now.

The inside of my apartment is silent as I close the door and lock it behind me. Both of my roommates are still on break, as is most of campus. I’ll be completely alone here, unless he comes for me.

Suddenly, I don’t feel so brave as I think of him coming after me and confronting me in my home. I’m not ready to face him.

Bile rises up my throat as I slap a hand over my mouth and sprint to my bathroom. I make it just in time. Everything I’ve eaten today explodes out of my mouth just as I kneel in front of the toilet.

I must imagine him here, because I feel his hands gripping my hair as he whispers soothingly into my ear. My heart wishes he was here, wishes he was the same Cain I made so much progress with yesterday, but my brain knows better.

Vomiting makes my head throb even more, but as soon as I think I’m done, the image of Cain with that girl flashes across my mind. Even when there’s no more food to throw up, I continue dry heaving into the toilet.

How am I supposed to confront him when I can’t even think about him without losing it?

He won. It’s as simple as that. If this was a game for him, then he won, and I’ll be left to pick up the pieces of my shattered heart. As Christina said, I dug my grave. Now I just need to lie in it.

Chapter 21

The Monster

Fucking hell. I had this amazing idea for what today was going to be like, but the call from Jonah ruined it all.

Some girl came into the house claiming she was your girlfriend, he had told me over the phone. She had keys.

When he mentioned the name Christina, I knew exactly who she was. I had a fling with her when we were younger, back before my fascination with Ainsley turned into an obsession. Christina never accepted that I didn’t want her.

If it’s true, I can’t help you with this. You know that, right? Jonah had told me, though he sounded a little scared to admit it. His determination to stay on Ainsley’s side only made me more confident in keeping him as security.

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