Page 138 of Filthy Promises

Another lie. I never knew I’d fall this hard. Never knew I’d end up pregnant and alone, watching the man I love prepare to marry someone else.

He steps closer, crowding me against the door. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t care.”

His proximity makes my head spin. The familiar scent of him surrounds me, making it hard to think.

“I do not care,” I lie, meeting his gaze defiantly.

He searches my face, those ice-blue eyes seeing too much. Always too much.

“Liar,” he whispers.

He bends down to kiss me.

It’d be easy to let him. So, so fucking easy. This part has always come so naturally for us.

But it would be a lie in its own right. Not a filthy promise but a filthylie.A filthy fantasy. I can’t live like that anymore—and I sure as fuck am not letting my child live under that cloud of bullshit, either.

So before his lips can touch mine, I push back.

Vince freezes. It might be the first time I’ve ever truly seen him look surprised. His mouth is parted, eyes black, breath held captive in his throat.

“This isn’t over,” he says fiercely. “Not by a long shot.”

I take another step away, just to be sure, as I gather what remains of my dignity. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“Rowan—”

“I have work to do.” I bend to retrieve the notebook I dropped when I pushed him away, using the moment to compose myself. “Is there anything else you need, Mr. Akopov?”

The formal title hits him viciously. I see it in the way he flinches, almost imperceptibly.

“No.” His voice turns cold again. “That will be all, Ms. St. Clair.”

I walk out of his office on shaky legs, closing the door behind me.

At my desk, I open my laptop and pull up the resignation letter again. This time, the words come easier.

Dear Mr. Akopov,

Please accept this letter as formal notification that I am resigning from my position as Executive Assistant with Akopov Industries. My last day will be...

I pause, considering the timing. Two weeks seems too soon. A month might be safer.

Soon,I promise myself.I’ll leave soon.

But first, I have some decisions to make about the life growing inside me—a life that changes everything and nothing at all.

Because whatever Vince says, whatever he does, one thing is crystal clear:

He’s getting engaged.

And I’m getting left behind.

Just like I always knew I would be.

41

VINCE

---