Page 24 of A Love Like Venom

I was the one who saw him first.

As his eyes meet mine across the bar, I try my damnedest not to wince.

Because you see, it’s the way his eyes are looking at me. Those hazel eyes I once thought were so magical have turned to the dark arts of witchcraft. Under the lights of the club, appearing as the darkest shade of brown, almost black, his eyes hold mine with no softness. They bore into mine with malice.

I suck in a painful breath that burns my lungs.

Reed Carter has never looked at me that way before.

It does more than just break my heart; it shatters my soul.

Yet, still, I find myself walking towards him. My body having a mind of its own. My heart remembering all the good he brought in my life. Walking away from him has never been in me. Going towards him is out of pure instinct.

Because Reed Carter was once home.

My heart and mind are in constant war when it comes to him.

His eyes never leave mine as I go to him. It doesn’t escape my attention that his expression hasn’t changed.

And it pains me even more when I stop in front of him from behind the bar and his face turns to utter disgust.

“Reed,” I breathe his name, finally releasing the breath he stole.

His lips curl with disgust as he says my name, “Alice Hall. Can’t say it’s a pleasure.” The bite in his tone is a real slap to the face. I can’t help but flinch.

I can feel my heart plummeting.

All this time I’ve been debating about good and evil, right and wrong. All this time I’ve been trying to convince myself that Reed leaving had to berightsomehow. That what he did had to begoodbecause that’s who he was tome. Right and good. He was the only person in my life who was.

Now I have to come to terms with the fact that Reed Carter meant to leave me behind. That he didn’t care about me.

The lines aren’t blurred when it comes to him and I.

“Reed-” I begin but he interrupts me with a sharp tongue. Eyes slicing me open.

“You don’t get to fucking call me that anymore. You lost that right.”

I swallow pass the lump in my throat. His words feel like knives. Each time he speaks they dig deeper. “I don’t understand,” I mumble confused and hurt.

He scoffs before taking a swig from the glass bottle of beer. As he sets it back down, he doesn’t remove his hand from the neck of the bottle. “How many times do you have to play innocent and naïve, Alice?”

My head snaps back. “Excuse me?”

Rolling his eyes, he shakes his head as if he’s had enough with me. Then, he raises his finger and waves it in a circular motion. “Look at where you are at, Alice and then take a real hard look at yourself the next time you come across a mirror,” he seethes.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

He snickers. “And here I always thought you were smart. Do I really need to spell it out for you?”

The pain I felt is morphing to anger. Red hot fury that burns from the inside and demands to be unleashed.

And I should be angry.

He. Left. Me.

Hewas the one who vanished without a word.Hewas the one who promised he would never leave me behind. And he fucking did.

“Yeah,Reed, I want you to spell it out for me.” I emphasize his name causing his nostrils to flare.

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