Page 35 of The Billionaire's Betrayal
"Okay, fine.Today, we're going to get serious," he said with a smile.
He adjusted my gloves, stood in front of me, and without warning, gave me a light tap on the shoulder.Not enough to hurt, but just enough to provoke.I looked at him, surprised.
"Hit me."
"What?!"I stammered.
"Hit me.Get out what you have in there," he insisted, pointing to my chest."Otherwise, it'll end up eating you from the inside."
That was exactly how I felt.I gave him a dark look, then I lunged at him.My fists flew, each blow accompanied by a cry of rage.He blocked skillfully, sometimes dodged, but never allowed himself to be disconcerted.
"That's it!Free yourself.Keep going!"he shouted over the noise of my strikes.
At the end of the session, I collapsed, out of breath, with trembling legs and burning arms.But for the first time in a long time, I felt something release inside me.As if this black rage that had been oppressing me for weeks had dissipated, if only for a moment.
"See you tomorrow?"I asked, almost pleading.
"Of course, but remember: you don't come here just to fight.You come to find yourself," he replied softly, handing me a bottle of water.
And so boxing became my outlet, my means of survival against the whirlwind of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me.
22.His fingers lingered
EVA
I was heading to the conference room for our next meeting when I spotted them on the other side of the door.Tristan, leaning toward Audrey, sharing an intimacy that took my breath away.Their knowing smiles stabbed me like so many sharp blades.Tristan's hand rose, gently pushing a strand of hair behind Audrey's ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek, a stolen caress that froze my blood.
Something in me broke at that moment, silent, invisible, and devastating.A dull pain radiated in my chest, cutting off my breath.I didn't know betrayal could hurt so much.
"Shit!"Leila's voice brutally brought me back to reality.Without giving me time to react, she pulled me toward the bathroom, removing me from view before I collapsed.I let her lead me like a puppet.Her fingers flew over her phone, managing the situation with an efficiency born of urgency.My phone vibrated moments later.
TRISTAN:Are you okay?Leila told me you weren't feeling well and that she was taking you home.
Tears blurred my eyes.Even now, even after what I had just seen, he still worried.I knew his concern wasn't feigned.But this tenderness hurt me more than indifference would have.
Leila gently took my phone and typed a message for me.
EVA:Yes, just a migraine.Nothing serious.See you tonight.
In the car, Leila called Maud and asked her to reschedule all my appointments for the day, while Marco cast concerned glances at me through the rearview mirror.He dropped us off in front of my place, and Leila came up with me.She guided me to the couch, sat down, and pulled me against her, my head on her lap.Her fingers in my hair reminded me of my mother's when I was a child and the world seemed too harsh.
"Honestly, I don't know what he sees in her!"Her fake outraged tone drew a weak smile from me.Her attempt to make me laugh was touching.
"Okay, it's true she's very beautiful, but wait a few years...She'll have to, like us, slather on anti-wrinkle cream and cucumber slices.And her superb breasts, which constantly threaten to burst out of her push-up bra, will hang like washcloths."
Her absurd words made me laugh despite myself.During the hours that followed, she did everything possible to lift my spirits.She ordered pizzas and ice cream topped with salted caramel.When she left to attend the sales team meeting, I felt better.
Tristan tried to call me several times, but I didn't answer.I needed time to pull myself together and pick up the scattered pieces of my heart.Until now, despite my doubts, I had convinced myself that I was exaggerating, that I had nothing concrete to reproach Tristan for.But that was no longer the case.That gesture, so intimate, coming from a man like him, denoted an obvious attraction, if not more...
When Tristan came home that night, I invoked a persistent migraine to explain my absence.I didn't know how to talk to him without the situation deteriorating.I felt torn between the desire to confront him and the fear of what that might mean for me, for us.He was true to himself, gentle and attentive.He took care of me with tenderness and devotion, making it impossible for me to hate him.In the darkness of our bedroom, listening to his steady breathing, I wondered how much longer I could bear this situation.The man I loved was falling in love with someone else, and I didn't know how to hold onto him without destroying us both.
The glances exchanged between Tristan and Audrey became impossible to ignore.Those knowing smiles, those whispered conversations, those moments of connection that once belonged only to us.At the office, I observed them from afar, a helpless spectator to their growing closeness.In the evening, Tristan was physically present, but his mind was elsewhere.I could feel his thoughts escape to her, even in the intimacy of our home.
For the first time in seven years, I discovered true loneliness.Not the loneliness you feel when you're alone, but that icy solitude that grips you even when your loved one is by your side.This realization hit me one evening as we were dining in silence.
It was over.Our story was ending here...
Lying in our bed, listening to his steady breathing, I forced myself to consider the unthinkable: a future without Tristan.The mere idea made me want to scream, but I had to be clear-headed.Our couple was no more, and despite all my love, despite my desire to save us, I couldn't fight alone.The desire to preserve our relationship had to come from both of us, and Tristan's detachment spoke louder than any words.
