Page 72 of Hate So Deep

What the fuck does that mean? Is she repeating his words? Way fucking harsh.

She’d look good with matching black fucking eyes I decide before Finn steps between us and says, “Stop!”

We glare at each other over her shoulder before Kayla sneers, “You think your pathetic ass can bag a guy like Dirk? He doesn’t want your brand of stupid when he can’t even get his hands dirty.”

My dirty little doll.

The words bounce around in my head as I meet Finn’s wide eyes and say, “Oh?”

“Yeah,” she says. “Why do you think he brought me? So, you’ll lay off his ass.”

The words hit as intended but I merely shrug because I won’t give her the satisfaction of seeing my hurt. Finn has no such compunction though and when she steps into Kayla, I grab her arm and shake my head.

She meets my gaze, fire in her eyes and I smile because for once I feel like I have people at my back.

Too bad Dirk isn’t one of them.

The venue is small but covered in lush cream-colored flowers with a bower at the front where Colt is standing when I enter.

He looks quite handsome in a dark suit with cream tie, I note before I skip over Dirk, my lungs burning and take in a smiling, dark but gorgeous Hayden.

While I do everything to avoid looking at Dirk, Kayla appears, stalking down the aisle presumably to kiss him.

Thankfully, Dad appears to usher me to the front, where I sit uneasily while Colt escorts his mom down the aisle and returns to the bower.

Kayla, to my dismay, sits beside me as a few people trickle in, some of whom I recognize from parties but none who I know well enough to greet.

Although Kayla may have taken great pleasure in delivering the message earlier, it’s Dirk who planted her there for the sole purpose of keeping me at bay and I do believe her because what have I done since I met him but push him to see me…want me?

With the exception of the few nights, we came together, he’s been honest about his feelings. I’m the one who didn’t listen.

Where does that leave me? Numb but also resolved.

Perhaps it took the stunning but bitchy redhead to get it through my own dark one and maybe it’s a blessing because I get it. Dirk’s loyalty lies with Colt and Colt will never see me as anybody but Sheila Stark’s daughter.

When Dad sits down beside me, I turn to the ceremony, my heart clenching as Ramie appears with a beautiful smile aimed solely at Hayden.

Her emerald, green dress matches her sparkling eyes as she clutches her bouquet and takes her place at the altar.

Next comes Cat with a wide if nervous grin and when Kayla shifts beside me, I grit my teeth, avoiding her gaze while we stand to watch Finn enter the room, escorted by her aunt Maggie.

Unfortunately, I miss the entirety of the ceremony because I can’t concentrate on anything but the shit swirling through my brain.

Once again, I’m battling the burn cascading through my body in waves while intellectually I wonder why the fuck I’m letting this asshole have so much power over me.

Only when cheers break out do I snap back to the event, in time to watch Colt grab his new bride by the waist and twirl her in a circle.

Tapping my foot, I wait while Dirk and Cat join arms, her adorable smile aimed at my former lover before Ramie and Hayden follow.

Celia and Dad are next and while I stand frozen, Kayla brushes past me rushing to her man.

Her man. Not mine.

With stiff limbs, I wait until everyone has left the room before collapsing back to the chair and dropping my head into my hands.

This is stupid.I’mstupid.

It’s not like Dirk was ever going to come to his senses. Why do I continue to let hope burn when Dirk stomped that flame out the first fucking time we met?

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