Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 100417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
His gaze flicked to my full backpack. “You’re about to disappear.” He swallowed, as if I’d just presented him with a ticking bomb. “I’m asking you for one conversation. Or simply give me the honor of assisting you now.” He opened his briefcase, revealing stacks of bound bills. “I owe you money. Please collect what is already yours.”
“I don’t want anything from you. I’ll take my three hundred and sixty dollars, and I’ll start over. I will go round and round and fucking round!” I knew I wasn’t making any sense, but I couldn’t focus my thoughts. “I’m so sick of men! I was nothing but good to you—for you—and you drove me away!”
In a low voice, he said, “You group me with Anthony and Shadwell?”
“You’re worse! I never believed in them!” I couldn’t stop shaking. “I’d made the decision to tell you everything, but you would rather be cruel and hurt me than listen!”
He leaned forward in his seat, fists clenched as if he was barely preventing himself from touching me. “Let me help you, please. I want to protect you. I understand that I handled things badly. But I don’t know my way around a situation like this.”
Gazing past him, I said, “Like what?”
“You told me your pride burned bright. It should. Yesterday, mine took some deserved hits. I comprehended that I loved another more than myself—and that I want her far more than she does me. She’d given her heart to someone else, and it made me crazed with jealousy—an emotion I have limited experience with. I didn’t know how to handle it, so I lashed out and hurt her.”
Love?
He stabbed his fingers through his hair. “I thought I’d treated you well. I thought I’d pleasured you and indulged you—but you still wanted Edward. Then last night, I realized it didn’t matter if you loved someone else. I need to protect you. You could tell me to go to hell, but I would still do it.”
And all it’d taken for him to have this epiphany was screwing Ivanna. Something in me snapped.
With a screech, I dug stacks of money from the briefcase and threw them in his face. “Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you booked my friend!”
His lips parted on a breath. “You’re jealous, finally! You do give a fuck about me! Now you know how I felt when you cried out for another man!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the water tower near campus. “Stop!” We’d passed my classroom! “Stop here!” I could still run and make it on time.
“Tell me what’s here.”
“I will—just stop!”
He called for Vasili, and the car slowed.
I lunged for the door, but Sevastyan snatched my hand. “Where are you running?”
Eyes wide, I cried, “To get the grail!” I yanked open the door, stumbling out into the rain, almost falling before I righted myself. Money flew out after me, crisp hundreds flying on a stormy breeze.
Without a look back, I ran to finish my degree.
CHAPTER 36
Get it together, Cat.
As I waited for Ms. Gillespie in her classroom, I gazed out the window, catching my breath after my frantic sprint here. The clouds were so dark, the day looked more like night.
My thoughts raced. Too many things had happened to process. Over the weekend, I’d recognized that I loved Sevastyan. I’d been happy with him, happy to make new friends. He’d basically proposed. Last night I’d been barricaded in a bathroom, all my hopes in ruins. And now my whole life was in turmoil. What did Sevastyan want from me? Did he expect me to contact him—
My jaw dropped. His car pulled up and stopped across the street! How the hell did he find me? I’d hauled ass over more than a mile, skirting between buildings and over the quad.
He stepped out into the drizzle, scanning for a moment before his gaze settled on me. From his vantage, he could see into my second-story classroom. Could see me under bright fluorescent lights.
What must he be thinking about this? Would he bust in? Or would he hang out while I took my test?
He took out his phone and texted someone. A instant later, a chime sounded. I stilled.
That was my text chime. From my bag.
I opened the pack and fished it out. He’d slipped the phone in so he could track me! Maybe when I’d been looking out the window on the bus? Sneaky Russian!
He was giving me a brows-drawn look. I must like pain in all its forms, because I pulled up the message.
M Sevastyan: I don’t know what you’re doing. I hope you do well. I would never be unfaithful to you.
Damn him! Did I dare believe him? Maybe he’d booked Ivanna to get information on me. But why hadn’t she called me back? I checked the rest of my messages. Several were from her number, not two hours after I’d ditched the phone. Mierda!
Despite her long red nails, she’d attempted to text: takked ti Sev!!1 U lnded hom!
Landed him? Even if he hadn’t been with Ivanna, Sevastyan and I still weren’t good. Not in any way. He’d been horrible to me. Because of him, I’d nearly lost my mind last night—and today.
I texted him back: you broke my heart yesterday
When he read the message, his head jerked up, disbelief in his expression. Without looking away from me, he replied: let. me. mend. it.
We stared at each other as my chest twisted and twisted.
“Hi, Cat, are you ready?” Ms. Gillespie said as she breezed into the room.
I turned from the window. “Ready as ever.”
“You’ll have forty-five minutes.” She handed me the exam.
I settled into a desk. I could do this! Yet as I stared down at the page, the text swam before my eyes. Were my eyes watering again? I never cried in front of other people.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I-I’m fine.” Get it together! “Ready to get started.” My gaze slid to the window again. Sevastyan was still out there, watching me. Hey, no pressure. If he caused me to tank my grade, I would have to murder him.