Page 107 of Brutal Game

His eyes flashed. “Don’t say that.”

“What else is there to say? Between him and me, you’ll choose him, every time.”

He shook his head like he couldn’t believe me.

“And if it were between me and your brother, you’d choose Asher every time.”

“So I guess this is it, then,” I said, unable to fight off the tears anymore. They spilled out over my face.

“I guess so,” he said. “Tell me one thing, Aviva Gold. Make me understand—what made you so hellbent on vengeance for someone else, you’re willing to let go of the good thing right in front of you? That you’d give us up—for a lie?”

As if he weren’t doing the same exact thing.

As if he weren’t still lying to himself.

“Tell me, Aviva,” he finished. “Who hurt you?”

I gave up the fight against the tears, and they streamed down my face.

“You did.”

He reeled back, his face a kaleidoscope of jagged, betrayed edges. But he was the one who’d betrayedme.And he didn’t contradict me. And how could he, when my heart was bleeding out on the floor in front of us?

We stood there, neither speaking, and even though physically we were so close, we were now worlds apart. Universes. Entire galaxies. Separated by our differing beliefs. It was a distance I couldn’t cross, no matter what I did.

“Let me go, Jack,” I said quietly, even though deep down I was beggingdon’t let me go, don’t let this be over, don’t believe him over me, don’t choose him over me.

Pain was etched across his features, his gray eyes dark, not with lust, but with a devastation that matched mine. His throat worked, but he didn’t say a word.

I left him there like that, forcing myself not to look behind me, hoping despite myself that he’d follow. That he’d be his usual overbearing self, unwilling to let me go without a fight. Every other time, he’d chased me, caught me, brought me back.

But this time he didn’t.

And that hurt most of all.

35

Aviva

It was pouring rain by the time I got home. I didn’t have the money to call an Uber, and Tovah was at work, so I’d walked the whole way. I was soaked through, my expensive dress was probably ruined, my feet hurt from the high heels I’d walked almost two miles in, and I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was shower, dry off, and collapse into bed. I’d been crying for so long, I was drained. Of emotion, of everything.

I’d left my broken heart on the hallway floor outside the ballroom. My chest ached from the emptiness.

The hot water from the shower barely warded off the chill. It didn’t bring me back to life. I tried to wash Joshua Jensen’s words, the night, and my feelings about Jack away until the hot water ran out and I finally gave up.

Wrapping myself in a towel, I exited the bathroom. Someone was pounding on the door.

“Aviva!”

It was Jack. I wasn’t sure what he was doing here, andeven though a part of me strained to open the door, I wouldn’t let myself. Nothing good could come from it.

“Aviva! Let. Me. In.”

I slid to the floor, burying my head in my hands and did my best to ignore him. I’d wanted him to follow me, but it was better if he hadn’t. Better if this ended now, because if it continued, I’d only hurt more.

“Aviva, I swear to fucking god, if you don’t open this door I willbreak it down.”

Sure.

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