He Left Me on Route 66, I Married a Mafia Don

When he said "situationship", I was straddling Damian Sterling's waist, my shoulders still dotted with faint red marks. Traces of what we had just done. My heart dropped like a stone. I scrambled off him, fumbling with my clothes, but my hands were shaking so badly I couldn't even line up the buttons. He propped his chin on his hand, his voice dripping with amusement. "Elena, you didn't actually think you were my girlfriend, did you?" He tilted his head, watching my frantic fingers with a slow once-over. "You're flat everywhere. Without that night, you wouldn't have stood a chance." He said it so casually that it hurt. And it dragged me right back to how this whole thing started. An accident. One of the female employees at his company had slipped him something, hoping to sleep her way up the ladder. I had been on my way to confess my feelings. Wrong time, wrong place. We ended up tangled together. I lowered my eyes. "But you said you were taking me home. I'm..." The word "pregnant" never left my lips. A cold laugh cut me off. "I was using you to get my family off my back so I could secure the company, Elena. You really thought I was in love with you?" He hit the door unlock and tipped his chin toward the exit. "Camilla's back. So you can get out now." Camilla Prescott. The woman who had never left his head. Three years I'd spent with him in secret. Every time I wanted to go public, he'd find a way to talk me out of it. And I made up 1,000 excuses to convince myself he loved me. Now one phone call from her, and he was tossing me out. "Can I please just stay?" I grabbed the door handle, refusing to let go. "This is Route 66. The cartels, the fugitives. Please. Don't leave me alone here." I had dressed up to meet his parents, a pretty Chanel-inspired jacket. Elegant. And now completely wrong for where I was. Even through the window, the heat hit hard, nearly 104 degrees. 'If he left me out there...' I couldn't finish the thought. Shaking, I reached out and clutched his sleeve, shaking my head over and over. Tears blurred my vision. Then his phone lit up. A text from Camilla, rushing him. One by one, Damian pried my fingers off. "Camilla's stuck at the airport. I have to go get her. It's not safe for a girl like her to be alone. Call your brother. He'll come pick you up." He wouldn't even drive me to the intersection, just to keep up appearances. A hard shove caught me off guard. I hit the ground, a sharp pain shooting through my back. I didn't even get to cry out before the engine roared to life and swallowed every sound I made. I watched the taillights fade into the distance and broke down completely.