Page 14 of Breaking the Annulment

Confused, she looked down at herself, then it was her turn to blush. She’d forgotten she was wearing nothing but a men’s shirt, and without the belt, she probably looked like she’d just come from someone’s bed.He probably thinks I’m doing the walk of shame. Oh. Wait. Iamdoing the walk of shame.“Please, can I borrow a phone?” she managed, chest heaving.

He blinked. “Uh, sure?” He offered his cell with a mixture of suspicion and pity.

“Thank you,” she whispered, hurrying to the corner of the store. She dialed David’s number again, pulse pounding.

He answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

7

Aurelia sagged against a display of energy drinks, relief flooding in. “David, it’s me. Listen, I?—”

“Auri? Where are you?” He sounded frantic. “I’ve been worried sick.”

“I’m at—some gas station,” she said, eyes darting around. “I can’t talk long. I ran––” Her voice caught. Admitting she was with another man on the phone felt cheap and sleazy. She owed him more than that. So much more. “Are you still at the hotel? Can you come and get me?”

“Yes, of course! I told you before, I’m not leaving here without you. I can stay as long as it takes. You said this could take a few days, but I thought you’d a least call, Auri. I was worried about you, babe. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I…I’m really sorry, David. Things are just…complicated right now.”

His voice softened. “I didn’t think this would be easy. Have you seen him yet? Was he at the fundraiser like we expected?” He laughed self-consciously. “No pressure. Just our future we’re talking about. Sorry. I’ll shut up now. Listen, I’m right here if you need me.”

Before she could stop it, a broken sob escaped. She slapped a trembling hand over her mouth to choke it back. David was such a sweetheart. The perfect boyfriend. He would have been the perfect husband, too.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he soothed. “It’s going to be okay. Tell me where you are. I can call the cops.”

“No!” she cut in, fear lancing through her. Michalis had power in law enforcement, or so she suspected. Plus, the last thing she needed was a public showdown. “No cops. I just need you to pick me up. I…I lost my purse, which had my cell phone in it. I’m sorry. I don’t have any money with me, or I could call for a ride back to the hotel.”

“No problem. I’m just glad you’re okay. I thought maybe you, uh, had trouble getting into the fundraiser and decided to bail on me.”

Sniffling, she gave a weak laugh. “No. It was nothing like that. Why would I do that? In fact, thanks again for the ticket. I never would have thought of serving him papers that way. I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

“No, you won’t. I told you; it was a gift. An investment in our future. Besides, I could afford it, and you couldn’t.” After a brief pause, he added softly, “You know how I feel about you, don’t you?”

Aurelia squeezed her eyes shut, guilt crushing down on her. “I…I know, David. I’m sorry. I––”

“Sshh,it’s going to be okay. Give me the cross streets, and I’ll find you. The rest we can work out later.”

She glanced outside the glass doors. “It’s just off the highway, about two miles from?—”

Suddenly, headlights flared in the parking lot. She froze as a sleek black sedan pulled up, overshadowing the other customers’ vehicles. Her heart thundered. She recognized that model—Michalis’s men, or Michalis himself.How did he find me so fast?

Terror sent chills racing up her spine. “David, I gotta go?—”

Too late. The doors flew open, and Michalis strode in, flanked by two of the same guards that had been with him at the fundraiser.

His expression was murder incarnate. She gasped, the phone slipping from her fingers. Her mind screamed at her to run, but he seized her wrist before her legs had time to obey.

“Who are you talking to?” he snarled, eyes wild.

On the other side of the store, the young cashier backed away, clearly terrified by the confrontation.

“Let me go, Michalis!” she hissed, twisting to break free, but his grip was like iron.

“Auri? Hello?” She could hear David shout on the other end of the line. Oh god, what had she done?

Michalis bent down, picked up the phone, and looked at the call screen. He pressed the phone to his ear just as David’s worried voice crackled through: “Auri? Auri! Can you hear me?”

“Stay away from her…David. There will be no annulment. She made her choice clear when she screamed my name and begged me to fuck her. She’s mine. Try to come between us and I will kill you.”

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