Page 131 of Deeper

Zander didn’t yell or get angry, instead he was eerily calm. His expression shifted to neutral, no longer holding the fire in his eyes he’d held for me just an hour before.

Tired and defeated, Zander’s shoulders sagged as he heaved a sigh. His gaze fell to the floor. “I’ve always been nothing but honest with you. More honest than I’ve been in a long time.” He studied me, his eyes lingering on my clothing. “You…you look beautiful tonight, right now, and you’re walking away from me. Fuck you, Bianka.”

Without another word, he turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

What hurt the most was that he didn’t even slam it. He didn’t give me any emotion at all. He just up and left. Quietly, and all at once.

28

RIVER ROAD

Victoria was the greatest. She collected me up late Saturday night when I returned to her in pieces. She let me cry on her shoulder, and she rubbed my back to soothe me like a mother to a child. She didn’t bask in my failed relationship with Zander. She didn’t rub it in at all.

I didn’t deserve her kindness, but I was grateful for her support.

Zander had left the suite, leaving Rajaa befuddled as he’d been in the living room while we fought—no,Ifought. Zander just walked away.

He hadn’t called when I returned to Hemingway Park, and I hadn’t reached out either.

Just like that, the ride was over.

Sunday came and went as I hid myself from the world, refusing to leave the comfort of my bed. Victoria didn’t let me suffer alone. She was quick to come crawl under the covers and lie with me. We didn’t speak at all Sunday, but it was enough with Tori being there.

By the time Monday rolled in, I migrated to the living room to be sad and depressed in some new scenery.

“You going to work?” Victoria asked of me. She was in the kitchen making coffee, probably preparing to get started on her appointments.

Was I going to work?

I was due in at Angles at noon, but I still felt gloomy.

As I sat on the couch in the living room, I brought my knees to my chest. “I should. I need the money.”

When Victoria didn’t respond, I turned to catch her engrossed in her phone. Her mouth hung open as a look of shock covered her face.

“What?” I asked.

Slowly, Victoria peeled her eyes from her screen. “N-Nothing.”

It was such an obvious lie. “Tori.”

“Bia, you don’t want to know,” Victoria warned.

She was acting strange, making me cautious. “Did something happen?”

My best friend managed to nod her head and frown. “Bianka.”

“Am I going to find out regardless?”

Apparently, there was no denying this as Victoria bobbed her head once more. “Yeah.”

“Then what is it?”

After a moment’s pause, Victoria crossed over to me. She handed me her cell phone and it all became clear. There was a blog pulled up, The CelebriTea, and there was a photo of Zander and me with a big tear in between us. There was also a circular photo of Jolie nearby as well.

Ah.

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