“Let him say what he wants. He’s come here with words to say, things he so clearly means, and I want to hear them.” I stare at Aiden the whole time, just letting my tears escape. I never thought he would accuse me of something like this. I thought he knew me better than that, understood me better.
“I have nothing more to say. You used me, you betrayed me, and I want you to never call me again.” Aiden says each word slowly, making sure he hits me with each one, hurting me even more.
I just stand there frozen as he watches me. I don’t have words for him either. I have nothing to say to him. Then he takes photos from my hand and leaves.
No matter what I had said to him, even if I tried to fight him on all this, he made up his mind that I had hurt him. I could have fought until I was blue in the face, but Aiden came here for one thing and one thing only, to break me.
“Saylor, you need to talk to him. There has been a mix up.” Anika stands in front of me.
Finally being pulled out of my thoughts, I blink a few times to get my focus back to normal. Wiping away the tears, I shake my head at Anika.
“He needs to learn the truth himself.” I walk away from her, just to get my thoughts together for a moment. “Whatever I say, he won’t listen, and right now... whatever happens... when he learns the truth, he can fuck off.”
The hurt and pain running through my chest right now is burning, like the fire is running through, touching all the oxygen in my body, leaving me feeling empty.
I turn to the door, then the doorbell goes off, and I walk over, ready to tell Aiden to fuck off exactly how I’d stated.
When I open it, I stare into eyes I didn’t think I would be looking at.
No, not like this, not like his.
Vicious pain runs through me like a hurricane, my legs turn to jelly, my eyes burn from the water building up in them. This cannot be happening. The world around me is shaking, not wanting to hear what this person has to say to me right now.
“No, no, no, no,” I shout at Uncle Ryan standing in front of me, dropping to the floor as my body trembles, my eyes stinging, my heart screaming.
“Saylor-”
“Nooooo!” I scream as Uncle Ryan wraps me tight between his arms.
“I’m so sorry, Saylor.”
I cry out loud. I’ve lost my best friend, I’ve lost my dad, and I’m alone. There is nothing in this world without my dad. How can this be happening?
I can feel my heart wanting to escape and break out of me. I can feel the world closing in around me, swallowing me into its dark hole, a part that I would more than happily live with if I could be with my dad right now.
Chapter Fourteen
Aiden
How could I be so blind? Saylor played me. The moment I got home, and saw David sitting on the step with a file, I knew something was wrong. I just didn’t know it was going to rip my heart out.
I let Saylor into my life, only to be used. How much did Frankie pay her to get into my life, so I would tell her about my business.
I lean back in my chair and look out at the staff working. After I left Saylor’s house, I got home and drank almost a whole bottle of whiskey. I needed something to help numb the pain I was feeling in my chest. It didn’t work.
I got to work this morning and still felt like someone had ripped a part of me out and lit it on fire.
I thought Saylor was different. There was something about her which pulled me into her. Fuck, she played a great a game.
I look up at David standing by the door, and for a moment, he just stands there staring at me. “I know it’s a bad time, but Anika needs to talk to you.”— He clears his throat and looks over at Anika stood just behind him.—“Said it’s not about Saylor.”
“Send her in,” I tell her, sitting back up at my desk. She sits on the chair for a moment and taps her fingers on her leg. “Yes?”
“I need to take my emergency week off.”
“Did your parents die?” I cut her off.
“No.”