“I didn’t see any point doing so,” the sheikh murmured, “now that I know someone else can do it just as well. You have probably heard from Johnny?”
“No.”
“Mm. Playing hard to get? I suppose it makes sense. Will he be joining you there soon, now that he and your twin have broken up?”
“I don’t really care what either of them – what any of you are up to. So…” I suddenly couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything else but just let the tears start falling again. It hurt, dammit. It hurt to hear him speak and know that he had never…
“It is not like you to keep playing the victim, habibti.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m not playing the victim. I am one,” I choked out with a painful laugh, “because guess what, asshole? I was in love with you. Johnny was a crush, but you…you were fucking everything.”
There was a long moment of silence…
And then I heard him swear.
Heard him say my name.
But it was just too much, just fucking hurt too, too much, and I hung up.
The sheikh called again and again after that, but no more. I was wiser now, and the less I had to do with him, the better.
Or so I told myself.
But night after night, I would end up crying myself to sleep. And it wasn’t like I never tried, dammit. I swear to God I was doing my best to forget him, to just think of the baby, but God…I just couldn’t. Couldn’t make myself stop loving him. Just couldn’t stop thinking about him that when one night, I woke up to find the sheikh sitting next to my bed, his handsome face taut, I couldn’t help it.
I reached up to touch him, thinking I had finally snapped, and that in my insanity I had finally managed to conjure an illusion of—-
What the fuck?
This was the sheikh, in the fucking flesh!
I shot up to a sitting position, my heart banging away as I stared at him in shock. “H-How did you…”
“Come here without getting arrested?” I could only nod, and a smile twisted over the sheikh’s lips. “Ella,” he said rather dryly, “got sick of hearing you weep every night.”
Fuck.
“It’s been a rough couple of days,” I said finally, “but I’m getting better—-”
“I’m getting worse,” he cut in. “I have been missing you like crazy—-”
“Stop lying,” I bit out.
“Because you were right. I love you—-”
I didn’t even think about what I was doing, it just happened, and the cracking sound as my hand struck the side of his face made me whiten.
“I’m s-sorry—-”
“It is the least I deserve,” the sheikh said bleakly, “for hurting you the way I did.”
There were so many things I wished I could say, but I couldn’t.
Because I was crying again.
“I’m sorry, habibti.”
I saw him reach one hand out and shook my head. “N-No.”
I saw him flinch, but I didn’t care.
“Just go, please—-”
“I can’t. I love you—-”
“Stop lying, please—-”
“The only time I lied,” the sheikh said rawly, “was when I told you I didn’t love you. I was just out of my mind with jealousy, habibti. If you had told me about the boy, I would have been more prepared, and I know it is no excuse—-”
“I don’t care,” I said dully. “I just don’t care anymore—-” I saw him flinch again, and my own heart broke. I hated seeing him like this, but I just couldn’t…just couldn’t trust myself with him anymore.
“I have a gift for you.”
I could only stare at him, capable of only crying. I didn’t even have the energy to ask what the fuck he was up to. Did he really think a gift could fix things between us?
“I bought your dad’s former company…” The sheikh forced my fingers to curl around the edges of a document envelope. “I also made the previous owner sign the necessary contracts so that your father would never have to worry about being sued for what he did.”
I could only shake my head. “Please let’s just stop this—-”
“I also had a story published in your old hometown, exposing the truth about your twin. Everyone now knows the truth about what truly happened in your former high school…as well as the fact that Dahlia’s original name is Automated Teller.”
A choked laugh escaped me despite everything.
“Another thing that envelope contains is photographic evidence of Portia’s affair with the pool boy. She knows you have it, and with this she’ll know how you felt all those years she had threatened you about throwing your father to jail.”
I watched his jaw clench, and I couldn’t remember ever seeing him this vulnerable.
Almost as if he was terrified.
“Lastly…” His tone became hoarse. “I’ve included our contracts, both the old and new one, they’ve been…voided. You can no longer be held liable for not following through with any of it, and with this, habibti…” Dark eyes captured mine in fierce appeal. “You are completely free to leave me, but I am hoping…you will choose not to. I am hoping and counting on the fact that even though I have hurt and made you cry, you are still a sucker for assholes—-”