Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 114775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Letting the door close behind me, I stand there for a moment. Hands on hips, I tip my head back to face the sky, watching the clouds drift over, as I take some deep breaths of fresh air.
Steady breaths in and out.
See? I’m starting to feel better already.
“Daisy.”
My body freezes at the sound of that voice. I know that voice. I know it well.
And there goes my good feeling.
Heart pounding, I lower my head, and my eyes meet with the one person I never wanted to see again. “Jason.”
He’s standing a few feet away, and I’m glad to say he looks terrible. His eyes are bloodshot, dark rings circling them. His hair looks like it hasn’t been washed or cut since I last saw him, and his clothes are crumpled. He looks a mess.
“What are you doing here?” I’m not surprised at the level of anger in my voice.
“Daisy.” He takes a step forward.
Everything inside me screams to step away, but hatred and pride have my feet firmly set in place.
The breeze blows between us, and I get a strong whiff of alcohol.
“Are you drunk right now?” I scowl.
He lets out a low laugh. It sounds pitiful. Unsurprisingly, I can’t find a shred of sympathy for him.
“If you drink constantly, does that constitute as being drunk, or is it just your normal state?”
“I’m not in the mood for games, Jason. Why the fuck are you here?”
“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you swear.”
“Yeah, well, prison will change a girl. Now. What. Do. You. Want?” My hands are clenched into fists at my sides.
“I just…” He softly shakes his head. “I just heard you were out, and I needed to see you. Needed to see that you were okay.”
I slap him. Hard.
The sound rings out in the silence surrounding us. And my hand stings like a bitch.
That is the first time I have ever hit anyone.
I don’t feel better for it.
My adrenaline spiked, my body is shaking, and my chest is heaving with heavy breaths, like I’ve just run a marathon.
I want to cry. And scream.
Seriously, it never rains, but it fucking pours. I fall for Kas, and he lies to me. And, the very next morning, my lying bastard of an ex turns up on my doorstep.
I have the worst luck of anyone ever.
Unfocused eyes come back to mine. “I deserved that.” His words are soft.
“You deserve more,” I grit out.
He gently nods his head, eyes unfocused.
Everything in me starts to hurt from the bad memories of what he put me through, everything I had to endure, and everything I lost because of him.
“Why, Jason?” I don’t even realize I’m crying until a tear drips off my chin. I swipe it away with the back of my hand. “I lost everything. I lost Jesse, the most important thing in my life, and he was put in a group home! A fucking group home!” My voice is rising with each enraging word I speak. “And I can’t even have him back now. I get to see him on weekends while I prove to Social Services that I’m fit to care for him. And that is all because of you!”
I shove my hands into his chest, and he stumbles back a step.
“You set me up! I went to prison because of you! And I know it was you because there was no one else it could’ve been. And seeing you here now just confirms it! And you have the fucking audacity to come here because you need to know that I’m okay? Well, no, I’m not okay!” I scream that last part. And I don’t care if I wake the whole goddamn building up. I’ve earned the right to scream.
His eyes nervously dart around.
It serves to remind me that Cece is only a few floors up, and she might hear. I don’t want to pull her into this. If she finds out Jason is here…God help him. And I don’t want Cece going to prison for murder.
Looking at the pavement, I pull in a few calming breaths, clenching my fists in and out.
I look up and stare at his pitiful face.
I can’t see the Jason I knew.
God, I used to care about this man. I trusted him. And, right now, I can’t see one single reason why that ever was.
“I shouldn’t have come,” he whispers. “It was a mistake.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” I snap.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbles as he starts to back away.
“Yeah, and I’m sorry I ever met you.”
He pauses, lifting guilt-ridden eyes to mine. “I’m sorry you met me, too, Daisy. You were the best thing that ever happened to me—”
“So, why?” I bang my hand to my chest. “You ruined my life, Jason. I went to prison because of you.”
“I’m sorry—”
“You keep saying that, but you’re not sorry. If you were, then you’d tell me the truth. You’d admit that you set me up. You’d tell me who else was involved.”