Desired by All and He Threw Away 87

Chapter 87 

the drink sits untouched in my hand the condensation dripping down the sides and eating thin dogs of war on my fingers.i watch one slide all the way down the glass before it falls onto my knee, 

The penthouse is quiet. 

Too quiet. 

the only sound is the low hum of the refrigerator–steady almost rhythmic like its trying to fill the silence w anything it can but it doesnt help the quiet presses in around me thick and heary making every thought ones. 

I lean my elbows on my knees, staring straight ahead, but my mind doesn’t care about the blank wall in front of me.it refuses to stay in this room. 

All I see is her. 

Taylor stood in that doorway earlier, trying to hold herself steady even as her brother shook beside her. Her voice trembling but determined. The way her eyes darted between danger and duty like she didn’t know the was allowed to be afraid. 

And then- 

The cold that crawled up my spine when that woman stepped toward her. 

That moment is burned into me sharper than anything else. 

everything inside me moved before i had the chance to think one breath i was behind her the next i was in front of her blocking the path like my body had already made the decision i have been refusing to say out loud. 

If that woman had said one more thing- 

If she’d reached for Taylor- 

If she’d laid a single finger on her- 

I shut my eyes hard. 

It still doesn’t erase the way my control snapped. Doesn’t erase the heat that ripped through me the second Taylor’s fear registered in her eyes. 

That wasn’t performance. 

That wasn’t the contract. 

That wasn’t business. 

i tell myself the things im supposed to tell myself. The lines. The rules. The boundaries we agreed on. 

She’s part of the deal. 

Temporary. 

Strategic. 

1/3 

Chopter 87 

+25 Bonus 

Not real. 

but i feel the He settle in my chest like a weight dropped into deep water. 

Heavy. 

Sinking. 

Undeniable. 

i know the exact moment things started to shift between us but i didnt want to look at it.didnt want to admi? it.because admitting it means acknowledging every moment after that every slip every look and every instinct that built toward tonight. 

somewhere along the way, the line blurred. 

i run a hand through my hair dragging in a breath that does nothing to settle the restless heat inside me.i place the untouched drink on the coffee table.the glass clicks against the wood a soft almost timid sound. 

it still feels loud in the empty room. 

I lean back against the couch, stare up at the ceiling and breathe out slowly.it does nothing.the tension sits under my ribs gnawing stubborn. 

i can still feel the brush of her fingers from earlier when she stumbled on the steps and i helped her inside.the way she instinctively leaned toward me.the way she looked at me like i was something solid in the middle of a night falling apart around her. 

And damn it- 

I liked being that for her.More than I should. More than I planned.More than our contract allows. 

i rest my forearm over my eyes like blocking the room from view will somehow block the truth from settling deeper. 

it doesnt. 

in the darkness behind my eyelids i see her again quiet, fragile a bit brave. wearing my jacket like armor.holding that necklace like it means something. 

Maybe it does.Maybe everything does now.The apartment stays silent.The tension stays thick. 

and sleep stays as far away from me as it is from her.i drop my arm slowly and stare at the ceiling again. 

And the truth hits me low and solid- 

i dont know if im ready for it.