Page 119 of Start With A Slap

Did that honestlysurprisehim? “Take a look around you, Sever! You ruin everyone you touch. You turned Roxie into a homicidal meth head, you turned me into a lying cheat, and you turned your son, your beautiful son, into a bitter, vengeful man who wants to see you burn in Hell!” She laughed through her tears. “Your mother must be so proud.”

Ivy didn’t even see the slap coming.

Hand on her stinging cheek, she gaped at him.

Panting, he shut his eyes, opened his quivering lips to speak, and instead of the apology she expected, he said, “Get out.”

She didn’t quite understand that he meantright nowuntil he pressed the intercom button and said, “Stop the car.”

Ivy blinked in confusion as the car pulled over.

Turning away, he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand and sniffled.

Sever Mark ...was crying?

...Over her?

“Sever...?”

The car stopped. Steeling himself, staring straight ahead, he said, “I don’t want you anymore. Get out.”

“I didn’t?—”

“GET OUT!”

She scrambled out of the car. He slammed the door shut, and just like that, Sever sped away and left her there, all alone in therain, outside of the 7-Eleven on Gardner and 3rd... half a mile from her car.

Blindsided, shell shocked, Ivy sat numbly on the cold, wet cement divider behind her.

He doesn’t want me anymore?

CHAPTER 34

Storm

I don’t want you anymore.

Ivy tried to put it out of her mind, get some sleep, but her ceiling kept blurring into that moment: Sever seething at her, his mouth tight, his eyes wet, his hand shaking... her skin burning from the impact of his slap.

—I don’t want you anymore. Get out!

—Because I’m in love with you! Get out.

—I don’t?—

“She may be catatonic, doctor, but her eyes are telling me ‘yes’.” Jason came into focus and winked at her.

His delivery of that line, though spoken in a Cary Grant-style Transatlantic accent, was eerily reminiscent of his father — and so was his sharky suit. As she slid her fingers down his crisp jacket lapel, it hit her that he wasn’t sleeping at her side anymore. “What time is it?”

“Quarter to Late, for me,” he said, checking his watch. “Trial starts today, remember?”

“Oh.” She’d been lying there, staring at the ceilingall night. “Right.”

“You feelin’ all right?” He reached out to her forehead, but she evaded and climbed out of bed, insisting she was fine. “Just promise me, next time you run out of gas on a dark, stormy night, you’llcallme? Or at least Triple A.”

When Sever left her there, she was too dazed to think. She just started walking. It wasn’t until she returned to her car that she realized how late it was.

“I hate to sound like someone’s mom but you coulda caught cold out there.” He added under his breath, “Or worse.”

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