Page 128 of The Billionaire's Wake-up-call Girl

“You were leaving, Lizzie. You needed help and you wouldn’t take it—”

“That’s because I wanted to do it on my own! Me. Without a man lording over me. A man with the power to take it all away. You knew that. I asked you to respect that.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Having control of my own destiny was so important to me.”

My pulse bangs in my ears. “But you would have control. It would be all yours.”

“No, it would be fake control that you grant me. You didn’t even ask me. You just did it! Oh my god.”

“I didn’t want to lose you—”

“And that woman? She and her husband acting like they love Cookie Madness…were they actors?”

“They were brokers.”

“Brokerswho were acting out a script that you gave them.”

“But the contract was real,” I say. “The terms protect you. The success would be all you. I don’t want money. I don’t care about controlling you. I want us. I want to undo some of the wrong that was done to you, so that you can have the success you deserve.”

“Do you not see the problem here? Do you not see how monumental the deceit is? I asked you to respect a thing that’s important to me and you tricked me.”

“I didn’t want to lose us. I didn’t want to look back and think, if only I hadn’t…” The words die on my lips. The hurt in her eyes is breaking me.

I want to go to her, touch her, hold her, but I caused the hurt.

She looks away. “What is the one thing I asked of you?”

I hesitate, desperate for some way to take away the pain.

“What is the one simple thing?”

“To respect your wishes. To not try to control you.”

“And what did you do?”

“I fell for you.”

“You tried to control me.”

“I know,” I say. “I messed up.”

“No, missing a date because you’re absorbed in your work would be messing up.”

“Please,” I say helplessly. “Give us another chance.”

“I can’t,” she says.

“You can’t just leave.”

“It was always going to happen.” She looks around. “Thank you for…”

“No.”

I go to her, but she puts up her hand. “Don’t follow me, either. I’m asking you for that one thing.”

“I don’t want to live without anus.”

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