Page 56 of Broken Saint

"Nova," Rock touched my side and offered me his hand. I recoiled.

"No!" I roared. "Get out now. We are over. I'm marrying Ronin, and that's final."

"Nova," Rock repeated.

"No! Go! You got what you wanted. I never want to see you again." I was screaming at him to leave, but the rip in my heart was begging for him to stay and fix this. I needed him, didn't he know that? Of course he didn't. Because that wasn't the kind of relationship we had. He'd been hoping to use me for information, and using sex in an attempt to control me.

And I’d fallen for it, hook line and sinker, making me as clichéd as my thoughts. I'd been swept into this mess for the sex, too. Until it had become bigger and not so simple anymore. Now it was all going up in flames and would soon be nothing but ashes at my feet.

He bent and picked up the diamonds. "I can see you're upset, so I'll go for now. But this isn't over. We have to talk this out. I'll call you."

"Don't. I doubt my future husband will let me talk to you anyway. Not if I want to stay healthy, anyway."

Ronin choked at my words. Where he found humor, I found nothing but pain. But there was more at stake than just my heart.

I had to save my sister.

Rock gave me one last look and it tore deeper into my heart to see that look on his face. But I couldn't trust him, and he couldn't trust me. Like it or not, it had to be the end of our story. He would move on.

The threat of tears still burned at the back of my eyes as he slipped from the suite as quietly and quickly as he entered it. Ronin glanced at me and thank all that is holy he must have finally seen something that managed to keep him quiet for once. Once the door closed, I turned on my heel and disappeared into the master suite, locking the door behind me.

Something as simple as a door lock wouldn't keep Ronin out if he wanted in, but the symbolism of it meant everything to me. As the first tear splashed onto my cheek, I realized that I had just lost a piece of me that I could never get back.

Rockford Reed had walked out as easily as he had walked in.

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