Page 108 of Indigo Sky

Good. She should be afraid. Of me, of the baggage I came with.

“You …youwere—"

“Yes.Me.” The vile word singed against my tongue as I stared down at her trembling before me. Some men found power in this—intimidation—but I only found shame. Ihatedmyself in this moment, but I couldn’t care about that.

A coalescence of anger and sadness watered in her eyes as she pressed her lips together and walked backward, away fromme, until she tripped over the door threshold, stumbling back and into the hall. I resisted the urge to grab her hands, to steady her, as she grabbed the wall and righted herself.

“Why are you doing this to me?” she whispered.

I walked past her and down the hall to her bedroom, where I found my clothes. I bundled them in my arms, not caring to get dressed and only thinking about getting the fuck out of this house and far, far away from her. All I wanted was to keep her safe, but she couldn’t find that with me. Not until I was free of the chains hanging from my neck, forever tethered to my connection with Nate.

It was like I’d sold my soul to the fucking Devil.

I stuffed my feet into my shoes, grabbed my phone and keys, and headed back down the hall, where Kate remained against the wall. Watching me through eyes clouded by terror and not the love I’d known just hours ago.

My heart was breaking, but it was fine. I deserved it.

“Get out,” she gritted out, finding the strength in her voice.

“Don’t worry, Kate. I’m leaving.”

“Don’t youevercome back—do you understand me? Or I swear to God, Revan, I will call the cops.”

“Good,” I said, stopping on my journey down the stairs to look over my shoulder and nod with sincerity. “Call the cops. Watch your cameras. Delete my fucking number. Forget I even existed, Kate. Do you hear me? Forget me, and I will doeverything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you again.” Emotion worked its way into my voice as I spoke.

When I saw that flicker of hope flash through her eyes, I turned around and hurried down the stairs, my belongings in my arms.

Behind me, she began to cry.

Before I could leave, I stared ahead at the door, not daring to look at her.

“I’m serious, Kate. Delete my number and forget my name. Forget any of this happened.”

She sobbed on a breath, and my feet demanded I go to her, hold her, kiss her, explain everything to her until she gave me her forgiveness.

But I ignored every one of those demands as she whispered in a broken voice, “But I loved you.”

I opened the door and swallowed against the lump rising in my throat. “Well, I’m sorry about that,” I replied as I left, closing the door behind me. And as I walked to my car, my untied boot laces slapping against the cobblestone walkway, I muttered, “I’m fuckin’ sorry about everything.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

I didn’t go home.

I left Kate’s gated community and drove until I found a dark parking lot. Then, I got dressed in my car and ran through my options of what to do next. Where to go. Who to talk to. I couldn’t go home yet. I couldn’t face my parents. The evidence of my heartbreak and fury was written too much on my face, and they would see beyond any of the bullshit I’d have to feed them. I could handle that later.

Kate’s father worked with Roy.

Howard’s ex-wife slept with Roy.

Kate knew Roy.

Kate always takes her car to Roy’s.

How often has Nate seen her? How long has he been watching her, stalking her? Destroying my car—

God, is he even fucking capable of this shit?

The thought gave me pause. I had known Nate. I knew he had a short fuse. I knew he went to extreme measures to seek his revenge, but years of stalking and tormenting a woman who had rejected him nearly a decade ago? It seemed extreme, even for him, and I found myself warring between reason and doubt. But it was the closest I had to finding an answer to all of this, and even if he wasn’t the source of Kate’s current predicament, he had certainly added to it years ago—and he had knowinglytaken me along for the ride and chosen not to say anything about it now.

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