Page 49 of The Bitterness of Venom

“Does it look like I’ve ever seen a goddamn chick flick, Jasper?” This conversation is boring and getting on my nerves.

“You know, buy her flowers and jewelry?”

My lips thin and I’m having to fight the urge to hit him. I don’t want to be having this conversation right now. “Blaise is not a flowers girl.”

“All girls love flowers.” He smiles.

Shaking my head, I grumble under my breath, “We’ll see.”

When I get homethat night, I see Blaise’s light on in her room. So, like the entitled asshole I am, I walk in. She sits on the floor, suitcases open and her things thrown in it. I drop my duffle by her door, crouching down until we’re at eye level. “Baby, what are you doing?”

“Packing.” Simple. Short.

“Where are you going to go?”

She shrugs, pushing her glasses back up her nose. “I’m not sure but he’s still out there. I can’t stay here.”

She’s not entirely wrong but I can’t have her just disappearing out of my life again. I may never find her. “How about the penthouse? You can stay there.”

She grimaces. “I can barely afford my coffee order, no way I’d be able to afford the rent.”

I place a finger under her chin, lifting it until she’s looking at me. “As if I would ever charge you rent.”

She shakes her head from my grasp. “I can’t.”

I stand, picking up the suitcase she just zipped up andgrabbing the other and her duffle. “You can and you will. Let’s go.”

The drive to the penthouse is quiet. And I almost crash due to not being able to keep my eyes off of her. Her head is still bandaged. Pink hair up in a bun and glasses resting on her pert nose. She doesn’t need to be alone right now.

When we arrive, I grab her stuff, and she follows me into the lobby. This place is locked down. You need a key to even get in the building and a special code to access the penthouse apartment. She’ll be safe here.

The elevator doors open into the living room and we take a step in. I drag her stuff into the bedroom. Then I put in a grocery order for delivery within the next hour as well as sushi for dinner.

She walks to the bedroom without a word, unpacking her stuff, I assume. I sit on the couch, looking through social media until the groceries and dinner get here. Then I make her a plate of her favorite sushi and grab her a lemon water.

“Freckles,” I call, and she comes walking out of the living room, a frown marring her face. “What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head, taking a seat at the table across from me. “It’s nothing. Just a headache.”

“Should I take you back to the doctor?”

“No, but you should leave. I don’t want you here, Desmond. I appreciate the hiding spot, but your company is unwanted.”

I smirk, biting into my sushi. “That’s a little rude, baby.”

She glares. “I have to figure out who I am. Who the healed version of me is. Me without Desmond. Just Blaise.”

I nod—I get it. “We can do that together.”

She slams her hands on the table, making the dishes rattle. “No,wecan’t. Do you not recall the fucked-up shit you’ve done to me? Making me run across train tracks blindfolded, pretending you’d let me fall off the bell tower? Shoving fooddown my throat and having me crawl? Or the fact that you blackmailed me with my tuition?”

When she puts it like that, it does sound fucking horrible. “You needed to pay.”

Her eyes widen. “For leaving you when I was fifteen? I had no fucking choice! I would have stayed with you forever if it were allowed.” She pushes her chair back, standing. She grimaces, placing her hand on her head.

“You need to lie down,” I say gently.

“What I need is for you to leave.”

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