Page 468 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 7
I just wanted to cry myself to sleep. Because I couldn’t stand here another second and look at him. He’d broken me. I’d barely been holding on from my divorce when Tanner had stumbled into my life. He’d kicked me when I was down. Twice. Because he knew Rosalie had disappeared. He knew and he did it to me too. And I didn’t know how to pick myself up again.
“Just be careful, okay? The Society is a dangerous place for a sweet girl like you.”
Fuck him.He didn’t know anything about me. I wasn’t sweet. I’d show him. “Goodbye, Tanner.” And this time, I really meant it.
“Bye, Ash.” He lifted the hat that was in his hand and put it back on his head, low enough so I could no longer see his piercing gaze. And then he walked out of the closet without looking back at me. Just like he’d walked out of my life the first time. Without a care in the world about the destruction he was leaving in his wake.
I heard the apartment door close. And I fell to my knees sobbing.
I hated him.
I missed him.
I hated how much I still missed him.
I pulled my knees into my chest as I sobbed.
Tanner Rhodes was alive.
And I was an idiot.
Because I still loved him. Almost as much as I hated him.
This Is War - Chapter 11 – Thirty Seconds of Pure Hell
Saturday – September 16, 2023
I rolled over and pressed my pillow against my pounding head. It felt like I’d been run over by a dump truck. And then it had dumped its entire load right onto my temples.
“I’m never drinking again,” I groaned. Not that the ridiculous amount of alcohol I’d consumed was my fault. It was Tanner’s. Seeing him had made one of my wine bottles magically disappear down my gullet on top of everything I’d already had to drink last night.
Howdarehe show up and mess with my life after ignoring me for months? He was the absolute worst. Or was I overreacting?Stop it.There was no point in analyzing this. Especially because Chastity would know what to do.
I grabbed my phone to text her. The screen was about a million times too bright, but turning it down to the lowest setting and squinting made it somewhat bearable.
I had three texts from Chastity. But none from Tanner. Which was good. Because I was done with him.So why am I even thinking about him?
Chastity: Hey girl, how you feeling?
Chastity: Wanna grab lunch and game plan for tonight?
Chastity: I’ll be over in 10 with some salads.
I checked the time stamp on the last one. It was from ten minutes ago. Right on cue, I heard a knock on the door.
“Why are you knocking so loud?!” I yelled as I rolled out of bed. If she knocked one more time I was pretty sure my brain would literally explode.
Chastity cringed at the sight of me when I opened the door. “You look like hell,” she said way too loudly.
“How much did I drink?” I whispered, hoping she’d get the hint that my head was throbbing.
“A lot,” she whispered back. “Did you black out?”
I rubbed my head. “I wish. Because then I wouldn’t remember Tanner coming to visit.”
“Tanner came back?!”
“Sssshhh!” I hissed.
