Page 28 of Bittersweet Revenge

I took the direction of the club. No way I was going to go home and let her know that nothing had happened with Aleks. I couldn't show her that she had destabilized me. I should have just taken my freedom back when I had the chance. I’d been asking myself if this revenge was worth it, and right now, it felt like my revenge on her was also revenge on myself.

I growled at the memory of her stupid Confucius quote. It was like she knew, had cursed me. I scowled, swerving the car in the direction of the house. She’d caused the damage. She had to fix it! She’d give me what I needed, whether she liked it or not.

When I made it to the house, I didn’t even bother to park the car. I simply stopped it by the stairs and rushed in, holding on to my anger and indignation before I changed my mind.

“Where is she?” I asked Benjamin as soon as I walked in.

“I’m not sure, sir. I was doing the inventory in the wine cellar for your mother's return. I just came back.”

I waved my hand dismissively. I was pretty sure old Benji there had a soft spot for Esmeralda and wouldn’t tell me where she was even if he knew. I sighed, taking the steps up two at a time. The old man needed a lesson in loyalty, but I was not sure I could blame him. I had started to suspect that she was a sorceress with her innocent smiles, fake solicitude, and pure beauty.

I knocked on the door. “Esmeralda.” I wasn’t sure what I expected after the way we had left things, but it wasn’t her staying silent. “Esmeralda,” I repeated louder. “Open the door now.” I tried the handle and was surprised to find it unlocked. I walked in and got hit by her sweet scent of rose and lilac. I couldn’t help but inhale deeply. I looked at her made bed and had to fight every instinct I had to lie there and take in her essence. I rolled my eyes. What the hell did this girl do to me?

I took a look around. The boxes we’d retrieved from her house were still in a corner unopened. There was nothing personal. It looked as if she was expecting this stay to be temporary. I tightened my hands into fists as a fresh wave of betrayal engulfed me. She was clearly planning on running again.

I turned around briskly, leaving before the impulse to destroy everything in her room became overwhelming.

I went back downstairs and to the swimming pool. I knew she would be there and it both angered and enticed me. I hadn’t expected seeing her in a swimsuit would affect me the way it had. I'd seen many women in them, some actual models, but I had always controlled my body, mind over matter. Always. And yet when I’d seen her step out of the pool in that poor excuse of a swimsuit, my body had reacted in the most visceral way, my cock hardening so painfully against the restraint of my pants. I was grateful I’d been half-hidden in the darkness and by the side of the wooden bar. I could pretend only so much. My body was constantly, infuriatingly betraying me.

What angered me the most was the poison of doubt in my mind. How everything she did had an ulterior motive. How I kept being reminded of how she had fooled me with her fake feelings and contrition.How she’d made me believe she cared, acted like she could love me. And how she’d pulled the rug by disappearing and–

My step faltered as my eyes locked on the swimming pool and the sight of Esmeralda face down, floating lifelessly.

“Esme? ESME!” I shouted. “Benjamin! Help!” I jumped into the pool fully dressed.

I turned her over and felt a wave of nausea at the sickly white hue of her skin, the blue of her lips. “Don’t do this,” I huffed, pulling her as well as I could to the poolside, my soaked clothes and Oxford shoes feeling like a hundred pounds.

“Oh dear. Sir!” Benjamin took her hand as I helped her up. After laying her carefully on the floor, I started CPR.

“Call Blue Arrow and Dr. Willis now!” I huffed, doing the chest compressions to the horrible mental tone ofStayin’ Alive.

I leaned in. “Come on, don’t be a coward. Fight! Don’t fucking give up!” I growled before giving her mouth-to-mouth.

I restarted the chest compressions, huffing with exertion as I glanced toward the door and cursed the useless Blue Arrow.

I didn’t realize how arduous it was to do chest compressions until now. They made it look so effortless in films, but this was nothing like the inanimate doll from the mandatory CPR class I’d taken last year.

I was the only line between the life or death of a person - and not just any person. Even if I hated to admit it, having her life in my hands mattered so much more than a stranger’s.

“Just, please…” For once I was not above begging, and this terrified me once more.

Finally, her body jerked, and she started coughing up water as I turned her onto her side.

I let out a sigh of relief as my eyes started to burn with what I decided was the chlorine and nothing else.

“Mom,” she whispered in between coughs and heaves. It clearly hurt.

Good!At least she would not go and do anything this stupid again.

Just as I was about to turn her onto her back, two medics from Blue Arrow came in and rushed to her. I stood up, letting them get to work.

“It took you long enough!” I barked, walking around them with my darkest scowl as they worked on Esmeralda.

“You saved her life,” one of the paramedics said after checking the numbers from the clip he’d put on her finger.

“No thanks to you! When I think of the price we pay you for being incompetent!”

“It took them seven minutes to come here, Caleb. I would hardly call that incompetent.”

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