Page 58 of Ramsey & Emerson

I cradled her face in my hands, then did my best to clean off her tears with my thumbs. “I’m here because I fucked up,” I admitted. “I’m here because I have to make this right, Emerson.” She started sobbing again. “I’m here because I was wrong, and I don’t think that I can live without you, baby.”

Emerson’s sobs were breaking my heart, so I did the only thing that I could think of. I gathered her up in my arms, then sat with her on the couch, cradling her to me. I held her and let her cry it all out. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but all I could think about was her on her knees as she begged me to quit hurting her, and it was an image that was going to haunt me for the rest of my fucking life.

She’d said that I’d won, and those two little words-you win-had felt like there would never be anything good in my life ever again. Those words meant that she really believed that this had all been a game to me. She believed that this was all one big joke, and because her feelings had been genuine, I’d won.

I’d thought that nothing could make me feel worse than the images of her in the school hallway, defiled and humiliated, but I’d been wrong. Even in that hallway, covered in used condoms, she had managed to walk out with her head held high. She had vomited, but she hadn’t cried. However, seeing her on her knees, begging me to leave her alone, that was worse.

Someone as resplendent as Emerson should never be on her knees before anyone. Unless she was down there because she wanted to suck my dick, Emerson was meant to rest her perfect ass on the tallest of pedestals. I wished that I could say that I was strong enough to walk away and let her live her lifein peace, but I wasn’t. I needed Emerson like I needed my life’s blood, and I was not going to let her go.

No matter how much she hated me.

After about an hour, her sobs had subsided, and she was quietly trying to battle her hiccups. However, she didn’t try to pull away from me. She just stayed quiet in my arms until her meltdown had burned itself out.

I was contemplating taking her to go lay down when she finally spoke. “I think you should leave,” she whispered softly.

My arms tightened around her. I wasn’t going to lie. I was fucking terrified of letting her go. I let out a deep sigh. “We need to talk, Emerson.”

She wiggled herself out of my hold, and I watched silently as she made her way down the narrow hallway towards what I presumed was the bathroom. I could hear the water running through the loud pipes, and a few minutes later, Emerson was making her way back into the living room.

She stopped a few feet in front of me, then repeated what she’d said. “I think you should leave, Ramsey. We have nothing to talk about.”

I stood up, then closed the space between us. I stared down at her as I disagreed. “And I think that we need to talk.”

Her face was expressionless when she said, “I have nothing to say to you. I have nothing to say to you, and there isn’t anything I want to hear from you.”

“Emerson-”

“Just leave, Ramsey,” she repeated. “You’re not wanted here.”

I refused to believe her. I could admit that what I’d done was horrible, but could she really fall out of love with me after only a week? I didn’t think so. As a matter of fact, I was risking everything on that one small hope.

“So, you’re telling me that it only took seven days for your love for me to just vanish? You loved me so much that you bled all over me, but it’s a week later, and you feel nothing?”

I didn’t see it coming. I should have. I should have because, Lord knows, I deserved it, but I hadn’t. Nonetheless, Emerson’s aim was so powerful that my burning face snapped sideways.

Chapter 34

Emerson~

Ramsey turned his head until he was facing me again, and I could already see the burning red imprint of my hand.

How dare he question my love when he had so easily turned against me and was only here because he must have found out the truth. He wasn’t here because heknewbetter. He wasn’t here because he was certain that I wasn’t the kind of person who cheated. No. He was here because someone else’s word had been good enough to make him see the truth, and now he wanted to apologize and go on like he wasn’t a cold-blooded bastard.

“I deserve th-”

“Get out of my house, Ramsey,” I spat. Now that I wasn’t a crying, emotional, shattered mess, my pride and dignity were front and center again.

“I’m not going anywhere until you hear me out, Emerson,” he replied, his voice steady and sure, and I just wanted to gouge his eyeballs out.

“Don’t you get it? I don’t care, Ramsey.” He was so used to getting his way that he didn’t realize that he was one breakdown away from being murdered by my bare hands. “Get out, and I don’t ever want to see you again.”

His hand snaked out, then grabbing my upper arm, he yanked on my body until my breasts were being crushed by his hard chest. He looked furious and unhinged. His eyes bore into mine as he said, “No one knows better than I do how badly I fucked up. I’m not excusing or dismissing what I did to you. And I swear to God, I will live on my fuckingkneesbefore you for the rest of my life if that’s what you need from me. But I am not letting you go, and I am not going to let you stop me from trying to make this right.”

I didn’t bother trying to wiggle out of his grasp because I knew from experience that it was no use. So, I stood toe-to-toe with him. “I’ll call the cops and get a restraining order if you don’t leave me alone, Ramsey.”

He used his hold on my arm to shake me a bit. “Good,” he snapped back. “You’re going to have to because that’s the only way that I’ll ever leave you alone, Emerson.”

I hated him. I wanted to hate him so damn badly. I wanted my hate for him to be stronger than my love for him because he was right. My love for him hadn’t diminished after only seven days. I was still very much in love withhim, but I refused to be my mother. I refused to be with someone who could turn on me like that.

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