Chapter 123 I want to go home.
CHAPTER 123
I want to go home.
ROMAN – POINT OF VIEW
“Does tomorrow work for you, Scarlett?” He asks.
My blood is boiling. The way he calls her name as if it is an inside joke makes me want to kill him. I am so close to cutting out his heart. Who the fuck does he think he is?
Scarlett looks at me, remembering she has a fiancé, “Tomorrow does not work for me, but Saturday does.”
I clench my jaw hard and say nothing.
“Of course, it was lovely to see you.” He kisses her hand and walks away.
I am so close to combusting.
“Well, that’s a lot of tension.” Eve tries to lighten the mood, but nothing works.
“How long were you together, Scarlett?” Luca asks lightly, but it’s obvious he has noticed the bullshit in the air. There’s something about him, and it isn’t just my jealousy.
“We dated when I was twenty-one, and we broke up when I turned twenty-three. We stayed friends until we graduated. I left school, went home, and we have not seen each other ever since.” Scarlett answers sharply, which does not make me feel better at all.
“You went home? Where is your home?” Luca seems to ask all the questions I need answers to.
Scarlett does not respond immediately.
“Percy and I dated when I was in Oxford. It was a long time ago, and I don’t want to talk about it.” She snaps.
“You broke up when you were twenty-three, Scarlett. You are twenty-six now. That isn’t a long time ago, and you need to understand why we need answers to these questions. Roman is not just a person, he is a brand, and you know damn well that we have been facing one problem or the other recently; we cannot afford any more scandals.” Elena tries her best to be calm and curt.
“Any more scandals?” Scarlett glares at her, “Are you asking me if I’m going to cheat on Roman? Are you asking if I’m going to ruin everything? If that’s what you are asking, then do it better, do not cut across corners, lay the fuckng accusation like you want to.”
“I … I’m not saying that,” Elena whispers, cheeks burning.
“Do not pass aggression to her, Scarlett.” Damian defends sharply. I stay silent.
“Oh, but I will. I see the way you look at me, I see the way you all look at me, like I am a ticking bomb waiting to explode, like I am a liar, a thief, a fucking intruder in your midst. You look at me and see a sinner while you drown in your self-righteousness. I am done with this bullshit.” She turns around to leave, and I hold her wrist firmly.
“Is this a normal reaction, my love?” I ask softly, running my thumb over her inner wrist.
“Why do you seem so vindictive? So eager to hide. Our questions are valid, and we do not know much about you, but Percy does.” I murmur, and she pales, “Perhaps we are right, and you are hiding something, aren’t you tired? Let me help you carry some of your burden.”
Her pupils dilate, and she leans into my hold as if her exhaustion is more than she can carry.
Then, Adeline cuts in, “You don’t want to help her, though, you just want to expose her, to know you were right all along. Just like in Milan, you are the same as you always were. You call her a pretender when we are all pretending. Our secrets are ours, so screw you, Roman, and let her go, now.”
She rips Scarlett away from me, and like a fool, I watch her go.
“You need to stop, Roman.” Eve sighs, disappointed that we have ruined her show.
“I will never stop, not until I know everything,” I confess, jaws clenched.
“Then, don’t say I did not warn you, because you might not survive it.” She glares and walks away.
Damian, Luca, Caleb and Elena stand by me, confused, and aware of the fact that we are nearing the endgame. I can make this easy for everyone and let Scarlett go, cut her out of my life and forget she ever existed, but she has seeped into my bones, spilt into my blood, and settled in my heart. Letting her go will kill me, and I will not survive it.
“We finally have the construction deal, Roman. Do not lose your head.” Elena warns softly and admits, “I have an apology to make. I need to stop seeing her like the enemy.”
She walks away, and I watch her leave. My gaze connects to Rick, who has his back to us and his phone in his hand. I frown, because he seems to be … smiling? What?
“What if you are wrong about everything? What if she is not the monster you paint her as? What happens then?” Caleb asks the million-dollar question.
I do not answer. There is a part of me that knows that there is more to Scarlett than what meets the eye. She is lying to me, but am I not lying to her too? I fabricated a past for her to get a construction deal. I am not innocent in this, but what if I am really wrong? What if she is the victim here? What if she leaves me, not because of Percy or anyone else, but because of me?
I turn around, and I look for her.
I let my jealousy get the best of me. I let my paranoia get the best of me. Luca follows me because his wife is further entangled in this than we anticipated.
I stop by the restroom, and my heart aches at the sound of her cry.
“I’m tired, Addie. I … I can’t do this again. I just want to be free. I want to go home.” She whimpers.
“When all this is over, I will take you home, but for now, stand tall, my love, and let’s finish what was started long before we could choose. Let’s burn it all to the ground.” Adeline sounds vicious and determined.