The elevator doors slid closed behind me. It made the hall feel so much smaller.
“Will you talk to me? Maybe I can help.”
Merrick shook his head. “I don’t want this.”
For some reason, I assumed he meant me giving him therapy. “I won’t try to psychoanalyze you or treat you like a patient. Whatever is going on, I can just listen as your girlfriend.”
“I’m sorry, Evie. I made a mistake. We should never have happened.”
I instantly went from sad to angry. It was one thing to dump someone, but another to say it was a mistake. “A mistake? You’re calling what happened between us a mistake?”
“It’s my fault.”
My hands flew to my hips. “You’re damn right it is. You know why? Because you wore me down. I wasn’t ready to go down this road—you chased me. Not to mention, I thought it was a bad idea to get involved with someone at work, the boss, no less.” I looked up and laughed maniacally. “Oh my freaking God. I did it again. Fell for a guy who is full of shit. Tell me, Merrick, is there a woman in your apartment, too? Because I left my phone downstairs, so you don’t have to worry about any video going viral, at least.” I shook my head. “Is that what this is? You were growing bored so you went back to fucking models? I mean, your neighbor would be convenient and seemed pretty interested.”
Merrick hung his head. “No one is inside. I’m sorry. It’s just… I can’t be in a relationship and be responsible for someone else.”
My neck pulled back. “Responsible for me? When did I ever ask you to be responsible for me? I’m an adult and perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Now you’re just pulling excuses out of your ass. You know what, you were right to begin with. This was a mistake. But the mistake was completely on my part. I should have never fallen for your shit. That’s what the mistake was.”
Merrick met my eyes, and I waited a few heartbeats. A small part of me held out hope that he’d apologize and say he was wrong. But realizing I was clinging to that hope only made me more upset. I needed to get the hell out of here.
So I spun around and pushed the button—ten times. Merrick didn’t seem to have moved from where he stood, though I couldn’t be sure since I didn’t turn back to check. Luckily, the elevator was super quick. I slipped inside before the doors had even finished opening. Pushing the button, I looked up at Merrick one last time. “You’re just like the rest of them.”