Page 39 of Tempting My Nemesis

"Don't push me away. We can get through this."

"Leave," I whisper, unable to look at her. "Just... leave."

The silence that follows is deafening. I hear her shaky breath, the soft sound of her retreating footsteps, the final ding of the elevator.

I stand there, staring out at the city skyline, feeling more alone than I ever have. The weight of betrayal, loss, and a love I can't trust threatens to crush me. But I can't let it. I won't let anyone have that power over me again.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ZOE

The elevator doors close behind me, the soft whoosh echoing in the confined space. My legs feel weak, threatening to give out as I lean against the mirrored wall. I can't breathe. Can't think.

Caleb's words replay in my head, each syllable cutting deeper than the last:

"How can I trust you when everything points to your father being responsible for destroying my family?"

I barely register the elevator's descent. As I stare at my reflection in the mirrored walls, I hardly recognize the woman looking back at me—pale, shaken, eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"I didn't know," I whisper to my reflection, my voice cracking. "I swear I didn't know."

But Caleb's face flashes in my mind—cold, distant, filled with suspicion. He didn't believe me. The man I was falling for, the one I thought I could trust, now sees me as an enemy.

The elevator continues its journey downward, and with each floor, the reality of what just happened sinks in deeper. My father. Caleb's family. How could this be possible?

I wrap my arms around myself, trying to hold it together. But as the elevator reaches the lobby, a sob escapes my lips. I clamp a hand over my mouth, desperate to maintain some semblance of control.

The doors open, and I rush out, nearly colliding with a couple entering. I mumble an apology, keeping my head down as I make my way through the opulent lobby. The doorman gives me a concerned look, but I can't meet his eyes.

"Are you alright, Ms. Archer?" he asks.

I force a nod, pushing through the revolving door and into the cold night air. The city bustles around me, oblivious to my world crumbling. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

Where do I go from here? How do I even begin to process this?

A taxi pulls up, and I climb in without thinking. As I give the driver my address, my phone buzzes. For a split second, hope flares in my chest. Maybe it's Caleb. Maybe he's realized he was wrong.

But it's not him. It's a work email, something about a meeting tomorrow. The mundane reminder of my normal life feels like a slap in the face. How can anything be normal after this?

I lean back against the seat, closing my eyes as the taxi weaves through traffic. The city lights blur behind my eyelids, matching the chaos in my mind.

"It can’t be true," I whisper, but this time, doubt creeps in. Is it? Should I have known? What else don't I know about my father, about my family's company?

Rain starts to pour down in heavy sheets, the sound almost deafening against the roof of the taxi. I grip my phone tightly, knuckles white as I struggle to steady my breathing. The implications of Caleb’s accusation about my father overwhelm me.

Could my father have been involved in something so terrible? And Caleb… does he really think I’d betray him like that?

I catch a glimpse of my reflection on the darkened screen of my phone. My eyes are red and puffy, my hair disheveled. I wipe at my tears with the back of my hand, but they keep coming, blurring my vision until all I can see is the faint outline of the road ahead.

I’ve fallen for him… I love him. But how can I love someone who thinks I’m capable of such betrayal? How can I trust him when he’s kept so many secrets from me?

My chest feels tight, breaths coming in short, ragged gasps as I try to make sense of everything. The life I thought I was building with Caleb, the trust we were forming—it all feels like it’s slipping away, dissolving in the rain that batters against the car.

I wipe at my eyes again, but it’s no use. The tears won’t stop. The isolation of this moment crashes over me, a wave of despair that leaves me sobbing. The way Caleb shut me out, with no chance to defend myself, rips at my heart.

The realization hits me like a tidal wave—I love Caleb Steele with a fierceness I didn’t know I was capable of. But that love feels like it’s shattering under the weight of secrets and lies. A choked sob escapes me, swallowed by the rain.

I feel myself spiraling, unable to find solid ground, lost in a flood of emotions. The love I feel for Caleb is now tainted with doubt, and the future I imagined with him seems to be slipping through my fingers.

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