by Serena Bell
Sighing, I ran a hand through my auburn hair. I’d wanted to talk to him about Mitchell, but I was too afraid to. I knew he would tell me to break it off, but how could I? Even though I worked for a high-end firm, I was still a nobody compared to Mitchell Blackwell. If I tried to get a restraining order against him, the police would just laugh in my face. They’d say there was no way someone like Mitchell would get involved with someone like me, that it was probably a ploy to con money.
Cole could see the anguish on my face and let me go. I sat down on the couch beside me, draping his arm protectively over my shoulder. “I know you’re trying to help, but you might’ve just made this worse for me,” I murmured regretfully.
“Worse? How is that? He’s going out to dinner with his wife, which I found out from the paparazzi that he was never getting a divorce from her in the first place. He was using you, Kris. Just a side lay for when he got tired of his wife. You need to get rid of him.”
The blood boiled in my veins. How could I have been so stupid? Trusting the paparazzi wasn’t exactly the smart thing to do, but what if they were right? Was Mitchell really stringing me along this whole time? If so, I was even more of a fool than I thought, but if I left him he’d make me pay. I’d seen the way people feared him. He’d ruin me for sure.
“I don’t know if I can,” I said, tears streaming down my cheeks.
Grabbing my shoulders, he turned me to face him. “Yes, you can. I’ve seen you break up with many guys before. All you have to do is tell him you’re not interested anymore.”
I shook my head, the lump getting larger in my throat. I was embarrassed and ashamed with how far I’d let things get. I’d never given in to a man like I had Mitchell. It was like he possessed my mind and now I was desperate to break free.
“You don’t understand. There are things you don’t know. Mitchell’s been having me followed. He’ll come here tonight; especially when he finds out you’re here. He’s often saying you’re trying to take me away from him.”
“You’ve gotta be shitting me.” The tension in the room thickened. I could see the fire in Cole’s eyes. “So there’s someone outside right now watching your place?” Swallowing hard, I nodded. “How long has this been going on?”
I closed my eyes, feeling sicker by the minute. I didn’t want to see the disgust on his face. I’d always been a strong woman, but Mitchell had a way to make me feel weak, inferior. “Months,” I murmured.
“Holy fuck,” he growled. He clenched my face in his strong grasp and squeezed. “Open your eyes, Kris.” When I did, his gaze never wavered. “You have to end this. There’s something wrong with this guy if he’s having you followed around. It’s like he’s obsessed. What does he do when he shows up? He doesn’t hit you, does he?”
I shook my head and lowered my gaze. “No.”
“Then what does he do?”
I didn’t want to tell him so I shrugged, feeling dirtier by the minute. When I didn’t elaborate, he growled again, knowing exactly what Mitchell wanted when he came to see me.
“Is that why you haven’t gone out with any of us over the last few weeks, afraid he’d get angry and show up?” he asked.
I looked up at him, lips trembling. “He can ruin me, Cole. I was blind for so long, thinking he really loved me, but obviously, I was wrong. I kept hoping he’d get tired of me and leave me alone. I have no doubt he’ll show up any minute; it never fails.”
Cole pulled me into his arms. “And when he does, he’ll deal with me. This ends tonight. I don’t care who he is, he doesn’t scare me.”
“He should,” I murmured. “He could kill your career with a single phone call.”
He scoffed. “Then let him. If that’s how he deals with things, then he’s even more of a pussy than I thought.”
A car door slammed outside, and I gasped. His footsteps could be heard, storming against the walkway. Fear racked through my body, and I trembled. Mitchell wasn’t going to let me go without a fight. My only concern was the price that had to be paid for my freedom. What would I have to sacrifice?
“He’s here.”
Love stories you’ll never forget
By authors you’ll always remember
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