He Used My Money, I Left Him

Chapter 4

"Oh, come on, Damian. Be serious for a second. I'm trying to talk to you."

The sounds of their roughhousing and laughter slipped through the door.

"That big deal we closed last week, it ships out this Friday. And we have Vivian to thank for that, you know. She's tight with Julian. She gave him one investment tip, and he hit the jackpot. That company of his just keeps growing. You used her name to land that deal with Julian. All of that was her goodwill. If Vivian finds out, do you think she'll be mad? Her investment instincts are practically legendary. The companies she picked out for you all have great potential. Which one are you going to invest in?"

Damian let out a dismissive snort. "What's so impressive about her? She got lucky, that's all. A blind squirrel tripping over a nut."

Selene paused. Then she went on. "With this order, we'll have solid cash flow. We can take that money and put it into a few of those small companies."

My feet felt like they had been poured full of lead. I wanted to back away, but I couldn't move.

I fought back the tears as a cold, desolate emptiness spread through me.

Selene had been the undisputed beauty of our school back in the day. Half the guys had a crush on her.

'When did Damian start up with her?'

Back then, I had eyes only for Damian. Nothing else. Nobody else. 'Have I missed things because of that?'

Eight years. Maybe everything had changed in eight years.

I stood at the bottom of the apartment building for hours, letting the cold wind cut through me, until I saw Selene get into a car and leave.

When I got home, Damian was visibly startled to see me. But he recovered fast and walked over with a smile. "What are you doing home? You're supposed to be resting at the hospital."

Damian's eyes were deep-set. When he looked at you, it was easy to get lost in them.

For years, every time I looked into those eyes, I would get swept away by what I thought was pure affection.

I forced the corners of my mouth upward. "I missed you. So I came home to see you."

Damian's face shifted slightly, almost like a flicker of guilt, but it was gone in an instant and replaced by a warm smile. "I'm sorry. Things have been so busy with the company. I've been neglecting you."

Neither of us brought up our earlier fight. An unspoken agreement.

I took a deep breath and walked over to the couch.

I bent down and picked up a delicate diamond earring. "What's this?"

Damian's eyes flickered. He pulled his mouth into a gentle smile. "I wanted to surprise you. Didn't think you'd find it so soon. I saw it and thought of you, so I bought it."

He stepped forward, took the earring from my hand, and tried to put it on me.

"Just the one?"

His face stayed perfectly composed. "The other one must have fallen somewhere. I'll find it."

I smiled. I brushed the loose strands of hair from my ear and touched my earlobe.

The skin there was smooth. Untouched. No piercing, no hole, nothing.

Damian caught the gesture. Something shifted in his eyes. He slipped the earring into his pocket and reached out to pull me into his arms.

"I think pearls would suit you better anyway. Next time I'll get you a pearl necklace."

I didn't say anything. I stepped back, just out of his reach.

Damian's face finally went cold. "Fine. If you don't like pearls either, then forget it."

He turned and walked straight into the bedroom without another glance at me.

I stood there for a long moment, trying to pull myself together. Tears spilled down my face before I could stop them.

Damian used to almost never get mad at me. Certainly not over something so small.

He was losing patience with me, and I could feel it. Thinking back to how things used to be, I suddenly couldn't tell which version of him was real.

'Is all his indulgence, all that devotion, just an act? Is everything he ever did just to use me?'

We lay in the same bed that night. At one point, Damian tried to hold me, but I pushed him away.

Just the thought of his body touching another woman made my skin crawl. The urge to escape was something I couldn't control.

It wasn't until the deep hours of the night that my body finally relaxed enough to slip toward sleep.

The next morning, I heard voices talking outside the bedroom. A knot formed in my stomach as I walked out.