Page 174 of Dirty Damage

Turns out, all that hope was just the curse hard at work.

It was the curse, lulling me into a false sense of comfort before pulling the rug out from underneath me.

Idiot—there’s no such thing as curses.

It’syou—you’re the problem.

I blink back tears as I stow away the last of my sweats. I’ve left behind all the gifts that Oleg gave me over the last few months. The ring sits on top of the pile, glinting at me accusingly.

There’s no way I can justify taking it with me. Even if it means starving on the streets, I would rather do that than prove Oleg right by taking anything he’s given me.

As I walk through the apartment for the last time, my bag slung across one shoulder, I feel the weight of my mistakes hang over me.

There is no Palmer woman curse. There are just Palmer women and the bad decisions they make.

I’ve made enough to bury me. Like trusting Drew. Like not telling Oleg about everything straight away. Like signing that stupid contract in the first place.

Probably my worst mistake of all, though, was falling for the man who warned me explicitly not to do that.

What the hell was I thinking, hoping for something more from Oleg? Of course he doesn’t love me. He can’t!

Of course he didn’t actually want a family with me. He’s incapable!

The last few weeks were just a beautiful dream.

And now, I’ve been forced awake.

I’m standing on the curb, avoiding the concierge’s pitying eyes, when my Uber pulls up. Pushing back tears, I stare down at the text message on my screen.

My last lifeline.

MARA:Of course you can crash with me. For as long as you need. No questions asked.

If I could, I’d cry at how good of a friend she is. A better friend than I deserve, honestly.

But there aren’t many more tears left for me to shed.

I feel like I’ve started over in my life more times than a person should have to.

Some might call it freeing.

I call it depressing.

I’ve been pouring over plane tickets and job listings for the past twenty-four hours. Every time I blink, I see wanted ads and airline prices.

My head is spinning with indecision. Should I go to Vegas and spend a few days with Sydney? It would be great to see her.

But that would put me right in Drew’s crosshairs. And thanks to the shitshow he’s made of my life, I’m less inclined than ever to be civil if we were to cross paths.

Not to him.

Not to Paul.

Not to all the men in this world who think they can manipulate and lie and cheat to get what they want.

The ironic part is that I don’t include Oleg in that list. He may be as beastly as they say he is, but he’s cut from a different cloth than Paul and Drew.

My mistake was treating him like them. I should have been honest with him from the beginning.

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