Page 63 of Loving the CEO

Of course. Lying was apparently second nature to him. I instantly got defensive. "Don't you dare talk about Debbie like that."

"Do you know how much of a headache she gave me with canceling all that shit with the fucking wedding? Then she told everyone it was my fault."

"Stop. And she wasn’t lying. Itwasyour fault."

He came closer to me. "You know how much money you owe me?"

I stilled. "Really? For what?"

"For the fucking wedding. Don't think I'm going to be stuck with all the bills."

Crap, Debbie had told me no one was charging us, but maybe she simply didn’t want me to worry.

"If you hadn’t stuck your penis into someone else, or at least had been man enough to tell me what was going on, you wouldn't have this problem in the first place." I flailed my arms wildly.

Walter glanced at them with disdain, but that didn’t deter me. I didn’t need his approval. Damn it, I’d never needed it. I couldn’t believe I’d wasted so much time with this asshole.

"You will pay for your share."

I laughed without humor. "No, I won't. It was your family who wanted a huge-ass wedding to be the spectacle of New Orleans, so it's all on you."

I couldn't believe it. How much more of a jerk could he become? How on earth had I been with him for so long?

But as I stood here in the entrance hall of my former home, I realized that I felt nothing but pure hatred for this man. Not even an ounce of love. Was it because he’d completely trampled on me by behaving the way he did? Or had I stopped loving him long before that?

Whatever it was, it was the closure I needed.

"You know what people are saying about you, right? That you ran off with that Whitley," he sneered.

"I honestly don't even care what they say."

"I do. I've got a reputation in this town. I won't let you ruin it."

I scoffed. "No, you managed that all by yourself. Why did you want to wait here for me, to talk?"

"Because I want to make a few things clear. I bought everything that's in this house."

"I know that," I said. "You've rubbed it in my face every time you could."

"You're not taking anything except the clothes you came with."

That had been my plan anyway, but this was just humiliating.

"I don't plan to rob you, Walter. I want nothing of yours. Absolutely nothing. I'm taking my clothes and my toiletries, and that's it."

The only things I'd bought for this house were some pots for plants, but he could have them.

"Good. And don't go into the guest bedroom."

"Why not?"

"Because I've been living there for a few weeks. We couldn't very well sleep in the master bedroom with all your stuff there."

My lungs froze. I forced myself to take a deep breath, and this time I did feel pain slice through my center.

She's moved in with him already.

The disrespect he was showing for me was palpable, obviously meant to hurt. Knowing she'd moved into the house I'd helped decorate, where I figured we'd spend our newlywed days... it was literally making me sick.

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