Page 87 of Rivals Next Door

She nodded, but somehow I knew she was lying.

I sighed. “Okay, then get back here and let’s talk.

“About what?”

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. Holy hell. It was like fear had gotten a hold of my tongue. My gaze skated away from her, and I blew out a long breath.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “We can’t do this anymore.”

“If you’d just give me a minute to?—”

“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “We can’t keep pretending that we don’t have a fucked up history. It’s time we redrew the lines between us, Alex.” Her voice had risen to that high pitch that told me she was hanging onto her composure by a thread.

“I know a lot has happened between us.”

I slid out of bed and took a step toward her. However, I stopped when she took a retreating step with her hands held up as if she expected me to attack her. What was her deal?

Swallowing my annoyance, I continued gently, “But we’ll figure things out.”

“There’s nothing to figure out. There’s no point in pretending that you’re not out to destroy my entire life and that you don’t…” She swallowed. “That we still don’t hate each other. We should just uncomplicate things and go back to being enemies, Alex, because there’s nothing at all between us. There is no us.”

I stood there frozen while my veins practically hardened and turned to ice.

“There is no us.” Those were the words she had thrown at me nine years ago when I begged her to stop and think about us, about what we had. And did she just admit to still hating me? I took a step back as if I’d been slapped.

She had some nerve hating me. I was the one who had every right to hate her! I was such a fool to fall back into the same pathetic position.

She was breaking up with me again… and we weren’t even together! What the actual fuck?!

Scrubbing a hand over my face, I laughed. However, it was a sound of sheer disbelief. “I can’t believe this is happening,” I said, shaking my head as I stared up at the ceiling. When I looked at Olivia again, those same feelings of resentment that I was willing to put aside swamped me. My voice dropped to a cold hard tone. “And there she is.”

Olivia eyed me warily as she slid her feet into her shoes. “What are you talking about?”

“The same bitch who discarded me like I was nothing once she got what she wanted out of me. I wondered how long it would take for her to make an appearance.”

Her eyes flashed with hurt. “No… This isn’t like that. I’m just trying to protect…” Her voice quaver. “I never discarded you.”

I snorted. “You were absolutely right, Liv. There’s nothing between us. We should stop sleeping together now. It’s time I got some fresh ass in my bed anyway.”

The little color left in her face disappeared as we stared at each other.

“What?” I snarled. “Did you expect me to beg you to stay like I did the last time? I’m no longer twenty-one and stupid.”

Her eyes—which I still found so beautiful— glistened with moisture. A single tear escaped and slid down her cheek. “I know you don’t believe me, Alex, but I’m so sorry I hurt you all those years ago. You never deserved it. I understand why you want to hurt me back, and I forgive you for everything you’ve done and anything you’re going to do.” Her lips twisted into the saddest smile I’d ever seen. “I guess I deserve everything coming to me. I hope one day you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me too.”

My eyes widened in disbelief as she turned and walked out. I expected more of a fight from her. A heated argument would have given me the go-ahead to really let her have it—to verbalize all the rage and hurt that just resurfaced and tell her what a terrible person she was for breaking my heart and for stepping on it some more nine years later.

What I didn’t expect was forgiveness, an apology, and what looked like defeat. Olivia Brentwood, the ice princess, looked as if the fight had left her, and I felt no satisfaction. I felt as if I had still lost. I held it together all of five seconds before my emotions got the better of me. I let out a frustrated growl as I swatted the bedside lamp, sending it crashing to the floor. I stared at the shattered pieces on the carpet thinking how symbolic the picture was. That was me… in emotional pieces… scattered all over the place.

32

OLIVIA

I stumbled into my borrowed apartment because I was blinded by tears. Shutting the door, I sagged against it, feeling as if I’d been drained of my strength. Who knew being swamped by so many emotions could leave one so exhausted?

Still, despite my exhaustion, my heart had more than enough energy to hammer against my rib cage. Had I made a huge mistake by ending things so abruptly with Alex? Sure, we weren’t a couple, but we’d been… friends since we started working together. The urge to run back to his apartment and apologize seized me.

I ached to explain to him that I wasn’t “the bitch” who discarded him. Having him continue with that narrative for even another minute was killing me. However, logic held me rooted to the spot. I didn’t fling the door open and run back to Alex to grovel and tell him the truth. His anger was evident, and I was remorseful, but what I did was for the best.

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