Page 12 of Syndicate of Sin Bundle

I stared at the engagement ring on the kitchen table with tears in my eyes. I had taken it off two hours ago after I got home from Cristian’s club and hadn’t been able to tear my eyes away from it.

There were so many things I had dreamed of my life being, but being lied to by a man who didn’t love me wasn’t one of them. I wanted to throw the ring at the wall, wanted to crush it with my fist, pack up all my bags, and leave this place for good this time.

But without any money and with all this debt, I couldn’t go anywhere.

Being stuck somewhere you didn’t want to be sucked more than I’d thought it would.

After I sat at the table for another fifteen minutes, wondering where Ben was, our front door finally opened. Ben walked into the apartment, sliding his hand across his face and shaking his head in defeat. Dropping his things by the front door, he let out a long drawn-out sigh and walked into the living room, not even seeing me.

“Where have you been?” I asked from the kitchen, tapping my fingers against the glass of Afterglow I had devoured once I got home.

There were dark lipstick stains all over it, but I didn’t care anymore. I hoped the stains stayed on the damn cup because Ben would loathe it.

Ben jumped and turned around. “Shouldn’t you be at work, Roxie?”

“Shouldn’t you have told me the truth from the beginning?” I asked, sitting up taller and finally having the fucking confidence and strength to confront him about what he had done to us, to me, to our future.

Thrusting his hands into his pockets, he walked over to the kitchen and noticed the ring on the table and my bare hand next to it. He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “Why did you take your ring off?” he asked.

“Why are you gambling again?” I asked back, refusing to let him put this on me.

None of this shit was my fault.

As much as I hated to fucking admit it, Cristian was right. Life with him would be simpler, but my pride wouldn’t let me fall into him so easily. Everything told me to run from him. He was the most dangerous man in the city, if not the country. And he wanted me.

Someone he’d never get.

He tensed up, his eyes becoming as wide as a deer in headlights. For me to have taken off my ring … he knew he’d fucked up big time. I’d found out about his little fucking secrets that he’d been keeping from me.

Fuck him. I’d trusted him.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, snatching the ring and my hand. “Put this back on, Roxie. I don’t know what Cristian told you, but I have been working my ass off to get him off our back.”

Before he could put the ring back on my finger, I yanked my hand away.

“Keep the fucking ring,” I sneered through clenched teeth. I balled my hands into fists so hard that my nails dug into my palms, probably drawing blood. “Sell it. Put the money toward the one hundred three thousand dollars in debt we are in. And who the fuck knows how much debt you are in with the banks and Cristian?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked again.

Did he really think I was that fucking stupid? Did he think I didn’t know, that I wouldn’t find out about all his late-night gambling?

“We’re not in that much debt. Only a few—”

“I saw the account. You forgot to change the password. You fucking lied to me and stole from me, Ben.” I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes. But I wouldn’t cry, not this time. “We’ve been together for years. I’ve been giving you my money to help us out, and you fucking screw me over like this.”

Ben got quiet for a long time and shook his head. “Please …”

He grabbed for my hand again. I got up, stepped away from him, and held myself back from hurling the empty wineglass right at his head.

“Please, just take the ring. It means everything to me that you have it,” he continued.

I stared down at the cheap piece of rock lying in his open palm. Ben either really fucking loved me and wanted me to have it for myself or the thing didn’t have any value to it. I didn’t give a fuck how much it was worth, but if it was a fake after he talked for weeks about how he’d saved up for it, I’d lose my shit.

I’d lose my fucking shit.

“I’m not taking the ring back,” I said. “Not until you get your shit together and get me out of debt the way you put me into it. I’m not going to pay for your mistakes with my money or my life.”

Ben stared at me, then turned to the side with the ring in his palm and a sour expression written all over his face. He stormed back to the small table near the door, grabbed his keys, and walked out of the apartment, leaving me to wonder if he’d ever really loved me or if this had all been an act to take my money.

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