The force sent her stumbling. She fell, her ankle twisting beneath her with a cry of pain. She clutched her face, panic flashing in her eyes—quickly replaced by venomous hatred.
"You hit me?" she hissed. "Evan, I will make you regret this. Just you wait!"
Hearing the threat, I laughed. A cold, jagged sound. I ran my tongue over the inside of my cheek.
Copper.
"Fine. I'll wait."
I slammed the door in her face. The wood barely missed her nose.
Days later, I formally signed the agreement with the angel investor. I threw myself into the project.
By day, I managed development, oversaw testing, and negotiated with suppliers. When exhaustion took over, I slept at my desk, waking only to refine the business plan.
On my screen, the project advanced, milestone by milestone. My life was simple, disciplined, and incredibly fulfilling.
In the previous life, at this very moment, I would have been confessing to a crime I didn't commit. The next eight years would have been a black void, with Natalie as the only spot of color in my mind. Her joys and sorrows had been my entire world.
I had never realized my life could be this... free.