Page 63 of Breakaway

My ex pushes himself off of my car and pads over to me, stopping within arm’s reach. I frown, shifting a little to create more distance between us. For some reason, seeing him nowmakes me anxious. A chill runs down my spine, and it takes a toll on me to force a smile on my face.

“Another late meeting?” he asks with a bored expression on his face.

“Yeah, um, Kai wanted to discuss our December edition.”

“Your boss has always beenawfullyfond of you,” he remarks, his eyes boring into mine.

Pinching my eyebrows together, I tsk, feeling anger overwhelm me. I don’t like his implication. “He’s not just my boss. Kai is my friend. We just talked about my assignment.” I cross my arms over my chest. Travis was never like this when we were together, and it’s confusing me. I didn’t think he was the jealous type. “Why are you here?”

Travis narrows his eyes, scowling. He shuffles his feet, the sound rattling around the parking garage. He’s aggravated, and it shows. His body language is tense and stiff.

“Whose car did you get into yesterday?” he blurts.

My mouth opens, and no sound follows. With how far away Roman parked, there’s no way Travis could’ve seen him. Unless…he followed me outside.

“A car?”

“A BMW X4,” Travis states. “Whose car is it? And please, Nevaeh, don’t tell me it was Uber. I won’t believe it.”

“It wasn’t an Uber.” I fake a laugh. “My car wouldn’t start, so I asked a friend to give me a ride.”

Travis furrows his brow, his eyes full of distrust. “I’ve known you for over a year, and none of your friends have such a fancy car.” He tilts his head, his teeth are deep into his bottom lip. “Maybe Drake, but he drives a Lexus…” Travis mumbles.

“It’s—”

“One of Drake’s teammates? The one you always watched during the California Thunders games we went to?” He stepscloser, hovering over me. “That Russian dude. I don’t remember his name. Was it his car?”

“Of course not. Why would Roman give me a ride?”

Silence hangs between us. I stand my ground, trying to act nonchalant. But the tiniest doubt forms in my chest, and the longer Travis keeps quiet, the bigger it grows. I always knew if the truth about my marriage to Roman came out, Travis would be hurt. But lying to his face would make it a thousand times worse.

When he finally breaks the silence, hurt drips from every word. “Did you leave me because you met someone else?”

“Travis, no, please don’t think that.” I take a step closer and let my hands fall to my sides. “I broke up with you because I realized that we’re very different. I’m not the right person for you. But there wasn’t anyone else. I swear.”

His gaze drifts from my face to something behind my back, and then he focuses on me again. “What about now? Are you seeing someone now?”

“No,” I lie, hating myself for how easily the word slips out of my mouth.

Travis sighs and lowers his head, staring at his feet. “I’m sorry, Nevaeh. This is wrong. I’m acting like a jealous ass, and I have no right to. Waiting for you, demanding an explanation…” He looks up, and our eyes meet. “I guess our breakup affected me more than I thought. It’s messing with my head, and I act like a damn stalker. Sorry. It won’t happen again. I promise.”

“Thank you, Trav.”

“I better go. Happy is all alone, and…Bye, Nev.”

Storming past me, Travis hurries away, disappearing behind a corner. I stand still, my heart beating violently against my rib cage. With trembling hands, I unlock my car and quickly slide inside. I can only hope my lies won’t come back to bite me in the ass.

Chapter 25

Lying to Myself

ROMAN

“God, I hate this!”

I close the front door of my apartment and slowly walk toward the living room. I fix my gym bag’s strap hanging over my shoulder. The muscles in my back are stiff, and I’m fucking dying from how sore my whole body is. Practice was awesome, but what I lifted in the gym after is the reason I feel like shit.

I’m craving a hot shower with all my soul.

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