Page 7 of Dirty Nasty Billionaire: Part 3

What is he even saying?

“You’re so full of shit. All relationships are hard. All relationships make you vulnerable. You’re not special. You’re just making excuses!”

“You don’t get it. I can be with you, it’s everyone else that’s the problem. I can’t go to a wedding with you. I could barely make it through an event for a company I fucking founded. You think I can stand in a room full of strangers? All the noise and the activity and the small talk?” He says it like it’s akin to having bamboo shoots shoved into his eyeballs. He’s truly cracked. “I don’t do that. I can’t do that.”

I can feel my heart breaking, both for myself, and for him. “I don’t know what happened in your life to get you to this point, but it’s not too late. You can get help. You can overcome this. There’s therapy and medication. Your life doesn’t have to be like this. You’re not even living! You’re just … existing.”

There’s an ocean of silence between us. I try to catch his eye, to pull him into one of our intense gazes, but he just keeps staring at the white marble of the island.

I try one last time.

“I want to tell you that I’m falling in love with you, but that would be a lie,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “Because I fell in love with you so long ago. I’ve been in love with you all this time. And I’ve been trying to pretend for you, but I can’t do that anymore.”

I glance up at him to see he’s finally returning my gaze. But he doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t move an inch.

I sigh. “And the worst part of all this is, I think you love me, too.” I reach for my bag from the floor and head for the door. There’s nothing left for me here. If he’s not willing to commit, then I can’t let myself hang around. I can’t let myself get hurt anymore than I already have. But before I leave, I pause at the door. I can’t bring myself to turn around and face him.

“It’s such a fucking waste,” I say.

The next sound I hear is the door closing behind me.

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