Page 37 of Unethical

And I know what she found.

“You fucking asshole!”

Her words punctuate the stale air, and my eyes fly open. She’s holding the mask.

Her face twists and contorts in ways I can’t even express—anger and sadness mixed with a hearty dose of betrayal.

“Get away from me! Get the fuck off me!” she snarls.

I ease my weight off of her, and she rushes out through the opposite door. I back out of the car and round the trunk, but she’s already striding away with her fists clenched at her sides.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not when everything was going so well.

I jog to catch up with her, then grip her arm to stop her when she shows no sign of slowing. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to hitchhike back to my car. And I never want to see you again, Maxim.”

“You aren’t hitchhiking with the I90 killer out there,” I tell her.

“I’ll chance it.”

I didn’t just say that to get her back into the car. It’s a genuine concern. The thought of someone harming her and dumping her body on the side of the road is more than I can bear. So I make the only deal I can to ensure her safety.

“Let me take you back to your car. Just let me know that you’re safe, and that will be it, doc. You’ll never see me again.”

Her darkened eyes meet mine. “Fine.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Sarah

“Doc,” Maxim says from the driver’s seat, but I shake my head to stop him. Just sitting beside him makes my skin crawl. I don’t need him trying to talk to me too.

“Don’t, Maxim. People rarely have to sit in such close proximity to a man who assaulted them, so it would be great if you could at least let me sit in silence.”

“Suit yourself,” he says.

I’m the one who demanded silence, yet I can’t stand it. With each breath he takes, he ignites a rage I’ve never felt. It’s insufferable.Heis insufferable.

How did I ever allow myself to end up in this position? Before he strolled into my office, my life may not have been perfect, but it was better than whatever it’s become. This man has broken my trust on a profound level, and I can’t wait to send him back to the cage from whence he crawled.

There’s just one question eating away at me, and I need the answer before I hammer the final nail into his coffin.

“Why’d you do it?” I ask.

“Do what?”

“Assault me while wearing that mask.” My eyes land on the plastic abomination staring at me from the back seat.

“Can’t we get past this somehow? I didn’t do anything with that mask that you didn’t let me do without it.”

My gaze wrenches free from the mask and lands on his face. “I letyou, not whoever you pretended to be. It’s not the same thing, even if you’re the same person.” I inhale. “You betrayed me.”

The sun dips low on the horizon, hanging at the edge of the world as it waits for his reply. He takes his time coming up with an answer, but I don’t prod him to hurry up. Though I want to know the reason behind his deplorable actions, hearing his voice only drives daggers into my psyche.

“I can’t explain why I had to have you like that, but I did,” he finally says. “If I’d known I could’ve had you without the false pretenses, I’d never have needed to be him.” His hands tighten on the steering wheel. “Would it change your mind if I told you something about my childhood?”

“I won’t be coerced by your core childhood memories, Maxim. Besides, how could I trust that what you say is the truth and not some manipulation tactic?”

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