TAMING THE ALPHA

3

“I was but this isn’t working,” I said again. I didn’t want to tell him it was his jealous, controlling ways that drove me away. It would just make him angrier. “I’m going to go.”

At some point, he had put himself between me and the door. That was not good. “You don’t get to come in here, drop a bomb on my life, and then run. You owe me more than that.”

“I don’t know what else you want me to say. I can’t be with you. I don’t want to hurt your feelings. I don’t want us to be enemies, but this is over.”

He looked downright murderous. “The hell it is! You don’t get to throw me out like I’m a piece of garbage.”

“You are not garbage,” I told him. I needed to choose my words carefully. He was taking this much harder than I expected. “I’m not throwing you out. We’re breaking up. It happens.”

“Not to me,” he spat. “I am not disposable.”

“Okay, I get it, but this is over,” I said firmly. I was not going to argue with him.

“No.”

“You can’t change my mind,” I told him. “This is not going to change anything.”

“I want to talk,” he said.

I stepped toward him, knowing I was going to have to push my way out the door. “Goodbye,” I said and brushed past him. I got my hand on the doorknob and didn’t stop. My legs were shaking, and my heart was pounding as I walked as fast as my legs would carry me. I didn’t run. I forced myself not to.

I got in my car and quickly started the engine. I hit the gas and sped away. It wasn’t until I was two miles down the road that I finally pulled over. “Holy s**t,” I breathed.

That had been far more intense than I expected. I knew he would be upset but I never expected him to explode. My hands were shaking. Fear washed over me. In the moment, I’d been more worried about getting out of the house. I focused on getting out the door and nothing else. Now the fear was hitting.

“It’s over. It’s done. No more.”

My phone rang. I glanced at the screen. It was him. I declined the call only to have him call right back. I shook my head and pulled away from the

curb. My phone rang over and over with text messages coming in between the phone calls.

“Go away,” I murmured.

I was not going to answer. I was so glad I made the move to end the relationship when I did. Red flags had been popping up over the last three months. I had ignored them, explained them away, and even pretended the red flags were a sign of love.

They weren’t. His true colors were shining through and it was enough for me to get the hell out while I still could.