“Don't flatter yourself into thinking I want you,” he added cruelly. “You are nothing but a convenient shield until Paula and I are ready.”
He turned around, guiding a sobbing Paula out of the room, leaving me completely alone in the cold, silent bedroom.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty doorway. The last pathetic, lingering shred of hope I didn't even know I was holding onto finally turned to ash.
I walked calmly back to the nightstand and picked up my phone. I opened the message from the unsaved number.
My fingers didn't tremble at all as I typed my reply to Vaughn.
I'll take the deal. Get me the hell out of Brandon’s life.
The brush glided smoothly across the canvas. I mixed a deep, bruised shade of purple, completely lost in the quiet of my room.
I was just counting the days. Vaughn was moving fast, pulling strings in the shadows to finalize everything for our sudden wedding and my complete extraction from the country.
The heavy oak door suddenly banged open.
Brandon stormed in, his tie loosened, a crumpled piece of paper crushed in his fist.