Chapter 231 Chapter 231

Chapter 231 Chapter 231
Violet

His entire expression changed, something anguished flickering openly across his face before he dragged a hand down it roughly.

“You…have no idea what you mean…to me.”

“I know exactly what I meant,” I replied coldly. “A bet.”

For a moment he simply stared at me. Then he shook his head once, slowly, his breathing getting a bit ragged now.

“It stopped being a game a long time ago.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“I expect you to remember me,” he shot back suddenly, his voice roughening. “I expect you to remember every single moment between us and tell me none of it felt real. I want you to…”

My throat tightened painfully because my idiotic heart felt it had been too real.

My gaze flicked to the screen of his desktop and the next words tumbled out of my mouth before I could take them back.

“I have someone else in my life now.” 

Elijah froze completely and looked at me as if I had spoken in another language.

“What?”

I forced myself to continue even though my heart was hammering violently.

“There’s somebody in my life who actually treats me well. Somebody kind, and honest. Somebody who doesn’t manipulate people for fun.”

The color drained from Elijah’s face so quickly that he looked almost sick.

His hand shot out blindly to grip the edge of his desk.

“You’re lying,” he whispered.

But he did not sound angry, he sounded terrified.

“I’m not.”

His breathing became visibly uneven after that like his lungs had forgotten how to function properly.

For several seconds he said nothing at all.

Then his eyes lifted back to mine and I wished they hadn’t because I had never seen a human being look that gutted before.

“Who is he?”

The question sounded scraped raw from his throat.

“Does he touch you?” he asked before I could answer. “Does he kiss you?” His voice cracked violently halfway through the sentence. “Do you look at him the way you used to look at me?”

“Elijah, don’t”

“Does he know what you sound like when you’re happy?” he continued, stepping closer without realizing it. “Does he know you hum under your breath while working? Does he know you love softer shades instead of bright colors?”

I stared at him silently.

“You don’t get to ask me those things.”

“Why not?” he demanded suddenly.

The desperation in his voice startled me.

“Why the fuck not?” he repeated, dragging both hands violently through his hair. “You walk in here and tell me there’s another man touching you and I’m supposed to stand calmly and smile?”

His chest was rising too fast now and his tie hung loosened around his throat as if he suddenly could not bear anything restricting him.

“You don’t own me.”

“I know that!” he barked.

The sound echoed violently through the office before he looked horrified at himself for shouting.

He turned away abruptly, pacing once toward the windows before bracing both hands against the glass.

For a moment he simply stood there breathing, trying and failing to pull himself together.

Then he laughed once under his breath, but the sound was ugly and uneven.

“I tried so hard,” he muttered.

Something about the brokenness in his voice made my stomach twist painfully.

“I tried to give you space because I thought if I stayed away long enough maybe you would stop looking at me like I disgusted you.” His shoulders rose sharply with another uneven breath. “But every fucking day without you felt like somebody was peeling my skin off inch by inch.”

“Elijah, please…”

“Do you know what this month was for me?” He turned suddenly, eyes bloodshot now. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to wake up every morning knowing the person you would burn the world down for hates you?”

My chest constricted painfully. The words felt too ugly and like knives slicing into my skin.

“You made me hate you,” I whispered.

The fury vanished from his face instantly and only guilt remained, pure and crushing.

“I know.” The quiet devastation in those two words nearly broke me.

“I know,” he repeated more weakly, lowering his head briefly. “I know I did.”

Silence stretched between us and the memory of him kissing Nicole fiercely as she straddled him, his hand in her hair made me speak again.

"Like I said, I have someone in my life," I said, each word deliberate. "Someone kind and nice and sweet. Someone who treats me like I actually matter. Like I'm more than just a conquest or a game piece or entertainment."

The color drained from Elijah's face. Actually drained, leaving him pale and stricken, his eyes going wide with something that looked like genuine horror.

"No," he whispered, the word barely audible. His hand came up to grip the edge of his desk like he needed the support to stay upright. "No, Violet, please don't say that. Don't tell me..."

"And if you dare threaten him," I continued, my voice gaining strength even as my hands shook. "If you dare try to harm him or manipulate him or use him against me the way you've used everyone else in your life, I swear to Goddess, Elijah, I will kill myself."

Elijah's face went from pale to ashen, all remaining color vanishing. His eyes went wide with absolute horror, his mouth opening but no sound coming out. He looked like I'd reached into his chest and crushed his heart in my fist.

"Violet, don't." His voice came out strangled, desperate. "Please don't say things like that. Don't even think about things like that. I can't…I can't even let myself imagine…"

"I mean it," I said, my voice choking on tears I refused to let fall. "If you harm him, if you destroy his life the way you've destroyed others, I will die. And it will be your fault. You'll have to live with that knowledge for the rest of your life."

Elijah stumbled backward, his hand coming up to clutch at his chest like he was having trouble breathing. His other hand gripped his desk so hard I heard the wood creak.

"I would never," he rasped out. "I would never hurt anyone you care about. I would cut off my own hands before I'd do anything to cause you pain. Please, Violet, you have to believe that."

"Why should I believe anything you say?" The question came out broken, raw. "You made a bet about me. You lied about Nicole. You forced me into this job. Why should I trust a single word out of your mouth?"

Elijah stopped breathing.

His eyes closed briefly before he turned away from me completely, one hand covering his mouth like he was physically trying to contain whatever reaction threatened to escape.

“Because I love you, goddamnit and I…” He stopped abruptly and shook his head.