Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Verity:

I held my phone tightly in my hand and waited for him to leave.

”We’re definitely going to have this conversation,” he said urgently.

Even so, he was clearly ready to get the fuck out of here and attend Gigi’s dinner.

I heard his footsteps retreating.

That was when I lifted the phone to my ear.

”Just fucking leave me alone!” I screamed into the phone.

The footsteps stopped immediately.

”What the fuck do you want from me? Who the fuck are you?” I screamed again, shaking with anger.

”The fuck?” I yelled, even louder this time.

”You think this is funny? Huh? You think I’m lonely, so that’s why you’ll do this to me?”

I broke off, choking on my tears.

”Well, I’ll fucking kill myself before you ever touch me. You hear me?” I screamed as someone suddenly rushed toward me.

Before Jaguar could grab the phone from my hand and probably yell at the person bothering me, I jerked my arm away from him.

”Why didn’t you leave?” I screamed at Jaguar.

He looked shocked as he raised his hands in surrender and stepped back.

”Hey, calm down,” he said immediately.

I placed a hand on my chest and hugged my phone, shaking dramatically before I closed my eyes and swallowed.

”I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s just—” I said, taking deep, heavy breaths as I walked over to the couch and sat down.

He immediately joined me, looking worried.

”Verity, this is not working, okay?”

His tone turned harsh, and I looked at him with furrowed brows.

”You can’t live like that,” he added, grunting in frustration.

”I’m fine. I’ve lived like this for two years. I’ll be fine,” I replied.

My voice trembled slightly, which only made him grunt louder.

He closed his eyes as if trying to tell me he didn’t believe I was okay.

”Trust me,” I added more softly.

”You should go,” I uttered, turning my face away.

He looked at me before checking the time on his wristwatch.

I heard him groan in frustration.

Then he lowered his head and shook it.

”No,” he decided. ”I can’t leave you alone like this.”

He pointed at my phone.

It was as if he wanted me to hand it over, but he also knew I was holding it securely out of his reach.

”Who was it?” he asked again, trying to understand what was going on.

”No one,” I replied, sounding slightly shaken.

”You can’t live like this! If there’s someone bothering you, let me know!”

He kept insisting that I rely on him.

”I’ll take care of it. I don’t want to drag you into something that doesn’t concern you. It’s already nice enough that you came here to check on me. But please, I want to deal with my own issues. I can’t rely on anyone.”

I stopped there because what I was about to say next wasn’t easy.

”The last time I put all my faith in someone, he took his own life.”

I paused because I had to say the next words, even though I didn’t believe them.

”Like a coward.”

My entire body flinched at the words.

”Well, he was a bastard. I’m not.”

Jaguar’s short, blunt response made me snap my head toward him.

For a moment, I lost my judgment and wanted to slap him, but I sucked in a deep breath.

”I’m not lying. I’m nothing like him.” he added.

”You know what? Go sleep in the room. I’ll stay on the couch. If that’s what will help you sleep tonight, then I’ll do it. Then, in the morning, I’ll leave after I’ve fixed your door and installed new locks and cameras around the house. Surveillance is really important.”

Although what he was saying was reasonable, I wasn’t sure I wanted cameras.

I knew that once cameras were installed, he would know everything about my comings and goings.

I didn’t say anything, but I decided I would deal with the cameras later.

Instead, I simply nodded, got to my feet, and headed toward the door.

”Just so you know, I really don’t sleep around.”

Jaguar’s voice made me smile.

Of course, he couldn’t see me, which was exactly why I allowed myself to smile.

I slowly turned to look at him and smiled again.

I noticed his smile return when he saw mine, but little did he know that wasn’t why I was smiling.

”You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” I told him. ”It’s not like there will ever be anything between us. We’re not compatible, Jaguar.”

My words wiped the smile from his face so quickly that it was almost startling.

”Wait, why?” he asked, already looking defeated.

”By the way, thank you so much for coming here and helping someone like me,” I said, changing the subject.

But I could tell from the look on his face that he still wanted to know why I had said that.

He didn’t say anything.

”I mean, of course I would have done that for you, no matter what.”

He sounded distracted when he said those words, as though he wanted to return to the previous topic.

”No, I don’t think you would have,” I uttered.

”I mean, what I’m trying to say is that I know you’re helping me because I’m your employee,” I finished, trying to leave when I heard him shift behind me.

”No, Verity.”

I froze at his voice.

”One glimpse of you, and I would have done anything for you.”

There was so much feeling in his words.

If I hadn’t known the truth, I would have melted.

If he hadn’t destroyed my brother, I might have fallen in love with him.

But I knew the truth.

He was lying.

A blatant lie.

”You should rest tonight. I’ll be here. And soon, you’ll know that I’m not the person you think I am.”

There was much more emotion in his voice this time.

I didn’t know how he was interpreting my words, but I wasn’t going to explain them.

I was going to let him burn in his own fire first.

After that, I would explain everything and watch him burn all over again when he learned what I had really meant.

Right now, he probably thought I had said it because of the comparison between us, because I was a virgin and he wasn’t.

But the truth was different.

The truth I would eventually give him was that we were simply not the same.

But that could wait.

I gave him a smile and walked into the room.

Once the door shut behind me, I remembered something.

This wasn’t the first time we had met.

We had met two years ago, and he had definitely not been kind to me then.