Page 48 of Three Hearts Hideaway

She couldn’t unlock it and get inside unless he moved. After the hell of being fired from her job, the absolute last thing on Earth she wanted to deal with was him. She was supposed to do this on her terms, not be ambushed by the shithead. But he never did understand boundaries.

“I don’t want to have to ask you again, Sebastian. Leave.”

He clicked his tongue at her as if she were a child caught misbehaving. “You’re being irrational. Why would I leave? Judging by the boxes in your arms, you were just fired, so what kind of boyfriend would I be if I left you alone?”

“Boyfriend?” Ava couldn’t keep the incredulous tone out of her voice. “I dumped you last week. You are not my boyfriend.”

Sebastian straightened. “We both know you didn’t mean that. You were being overly sensitive, as usual. This is how you get when things don’t go your way.”

This behaviour was at the top of the long list of relationship cons she’d written in Little Greenfield. Gaslighting. “I meant it. You and me? We’re done. Get out of my doorway.”

Ava set the boxes down in front of her, creating something of a barrier between them. They were separated by a good ten feet, but it gave her the illusion of being a bit safer. Not that he’d ever laid a hand on her. He didn’t have to. Sebastian fought with words, not fists.

“Ava.” He took a step toward her, and she held her ground. “Who is ever going to love you, if not me? I forgive you for thebreakdown you had before you took off to God-knows-where. No one else would be so kind as to overlook that. But I’m willing.”

Her skin crawled at the saccharine tone he used while trying to manipulate her. It didn’t match his words. Another con. “Sebastian, I need you to leave.” If she kept repeating the request, he would have to listen eventually—right?

“Don’t be so immature. We’re going to work through this. Remember how good we were at the beginning, babe? We’ll get back to that. You have to stop with your silly delusions, and be the Ava you were when we met.”

“I’ve always been this way.”

“Stop being so dense.” A harsh edge creeped into his voice. “You know you’ve changed. What happened to my agreeable Ava?”

“You mean obedient.” Her tone was flat.

“Those are your words, not mine.” Another step toward her. “Everyone agrees with me. You’ve got a screw loose.” He tapped his temple. “But I know you can work on it. I’m here to help you find your way back to normal.”

“You need to leave.” The urge to take a step back, to physically distance herself further from him, was overwhelming. But she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to her. She was normal, wasn’t she? Roman and Logan took no issue with indulging her sexual appetite.

His nostrils flared as he stared her down. He didn’t expect her rejection. “Babe, you gotta stop repeating yourself. What’s wrong with you? I’m here to fix you, give you a second chance. Why are you being such a bitch?”

The word slapped her across the face. The same way it would if he used his hand. Raw, burning.

“If I don’t take you back, who do you think will want you? Huh? Nobody.” Another step closer. “Men aren’t tripping overthemselves to be with stupid sluts like you. Get that through your thick skull.”

“You’re wrong,” she choked out. Blinking away tears, she fought the urge to cry. She didn’t want Sebastian to see how he continued to affect her, how his words stung in all her most vulnerable places. His lack of empathy was staggering.

“I’m the best you’ll ever have,babe.” He spit out the last word in disgust. “After I told everyone about your degenerate desires, no one wants to be around you, let alone be with you.”

“You’re wrong,” she said again, trying to force a modicum of power behind her ever-shrinking voice. “I’ve found another man. Two, actually. They’re both caring and thoughtful. And they treat me properly, like good men should treat a woman.”

His laugh was brutal and harsh. “Two? You ran away and whored yourself out to two guys?” He shook his head slowly, a malicious grin eating up his face. “Well, I had you pegged, didn’t I? A weak-minded little skank,” he sneered.

Her shoulders slumped. She was never going to get through to him. He always had to be right. In control. Superior. Con, con, and another con. “Call me whatever you want, Sebastian. I just want you to leave. I’m done.”

He strode up to her, stopping directly on the other side of her boxes. “If anyone is done, babe, it’s me. After your co-worker Nick told me you got fired, I thought I’d do the benevolent thing and take you back. But I’m not into dirty slags who throw themselves at any man who’ll have them. Sorry,menwho’ll have them.” He slammed his palm into the wall beside them to punctuate his point.

She couldn’t help but flinch.

“Good luck, Ava. When you’re two so-calledcaring and thoughtfulmen are done having their way with you, you’ll be completely used up. Even filthier than you are now. No one will want you then.”

Ava’s head hung in defeat. Sebastian always had a way of tearing her down so perfectly. Always cutting her where it hurt most. Usually, he was the one to rebuild her again—how he saw fit. But not this time. This was the last time she ever wanted to see him.

She mustered the strength to say one last word. “Leave.”

“You did this to yourself, Ava. Remember that.” He strutted down the hall toward the stairwell.

In the past, she would’ve gone after him. Would’ve thought she made a mistake and had to fix it. That she was the one who needed to make amends.

---