know Alex needs to go, but I’m afraid the more she learns about her past, the further she will drift away from me until she’s completely gone.
Her phone buzzes and she looks at the screen before back up at me. I swear I see a tear behind her eyes, and I’m afraid this is good-bye. “I need to go,” she says.
I nod. She stands and hurries into the bedroom. When she comes back out a few minutes later, I’m still in the same spot and she’s fully dressed. I stand on autopilot and walk past her to find my t-shirt on the floor in the bathroom. I pull it on before coming back to the living room where she stands waiting.
“Come on. I’ll walk you back,” I say. She nods and follows me out of the hotel. We walk in silence the five blocks back to our condos. I want so badly to take her hand in mine, to touch her in some way, but I don’t. I’m ice, and I won’t melt for her. I haven’t fallen for her. I’ll say good-bye and forget she ever existed. When she no longer lives here, I won’t have to think about her again. We make it to the condo and into the empty elevator, each of us pressing the button for our individual floors. When the doors open on the eighth, she steps out without a word, glancing back just once as she rounds the corner of the hallway out of view. I should have just let her go — a clean break — but I can’t. I can’t not hold out hope that we will miss out on something that could be more between us.
“Wait,” I say blocking the door of the elevator doors with my body. “I want to see you again before you go. Promise me we will have one more date before you leave.”
I see the twinkle flicker in her eyes. The flicker of hope. “We don’t do dates, remember?”
“Sure, we do.” That makes her smile. “Promise me.”
“I promise,” she says still smiling as she walks away from me to her condo. I climb back into the elevator and let the doors close, feeling better than if she had given me a hot and heavy kiss before leaving. I have one more chance.
CHAPTER NINE
Alexa
I try to kick him again, but I can’t. He has all of his weight pressed down on me so I’m still pinned with my stomach to the ground.
I stare at myself in the mirror. I usually hate mirrors, but not this one. This one makes me look like a movie star ready to walk the red carpet instead of the outcast I feel. The black dress fits me like a glove hugging every curve and making my one good leg stand out. My tattoos shine brightly on my skin. Elisabetta and Laura wanted me to cover them as they had done for my wedding, but I refused. I’m beginning to love that part of me. I love how they tell the story of my past even when I can’t remember. I refuse to hide anything anymore. My hair falls perfectly in sexy loose curls. My face looks flawless. Makeup covers every scar and every flaw, making me look like a model. If it weren't for my prosthetic leg hiding beneath my skirt, I would feel every bit like the model they tried to make me appear.
“Have you memorized your speech yet? It will be on the teleprompter, but it helps if you are comfortable with it. To know when you’re going to smile and when you’re going to cry,” Laura says.
I look down at the piece of paper sitting on the table in front of me. I have it memorized. It’s a simple speech, really. I’m supposed to say how much I miss and love Ethan. How his life ended too soon due to a drunk driver. Thank everyone for the donations to fight drunk driving. To stop this from happening to someone in their family. Play the mourning wife, show that the Wolfe family is still strong and will keep fighting despite this loss, and that we are starting this foundation in Ethan’s honor. Just don’t show weakness; Wolfes never show weakness. It all sounds good and like a worthy cause until you realize Laura’s real agenda. It’s not to raise money for a foundation in Ethan’s honor. It’s to raise money for the Wolfe family. The
Her phone buzzes and she looks at the screen before back up at me. I swear I see a tear behind her eyes, and I’m afraid this is good-bye. “I need to go,” she says.
I nod. She stands and hurries into the bedroom. When she comes back out a few minutes later, I’m still in the same spot and she’s fully dressed. I stand on autopilot and walk past her to find my t-shirt on the floor in the bathroom. I pull it on before coming back to the living room where she stands waiting.
“Come on. I’ll walk you back,” I say. She nods and follows me out of the hotel. We walk in silence the five blocks back to our condos. I want so badly to take her hand in mine, to touch her in some way, but I don’t. I’m ice, and I won’t melt for her. I haven’t fallen for her. I’ll say good-bye and forget she ever existed. When she no longer lives here, I won’t have to think about her again. We make it to the condo and into the empty elevator, each of us pressing the button for our individual floors. When the doors open on the eighth, she steps out without a word, glancing back just once as she rounds the corner of the hallway out of view. I should have just let her go — a clean break — but I can’t. I can’t not hold out hope that we will miss out on something that could be more between us.
“Wait,” I say blocking the door of the elevator doors with my body. “I want to see you again before you go. Promise me we will have one more date before you leave.”
I see the twinkle flicker in her eyes. The flicker of hope. “We don’t do dates, remember?”
“Sure, we do.” That makes her smile. “Promise me.”
“I promise,” she says still smiling as she walks away from me to her condo. I climb back into the elevator and let the doors close, feeling better than if she had given me a hot and heavy kiss before leaving. I have one more chance.
CHAPTER NINE
Alexa
I try to kick him again, but I can’t. He has all of his weight pressed down on me so I’m still pinned with my stomach to the ground.
I stare at myself in the mirror. I usually hate mirrors, but not this one. This one makes me look like a movie star ready to walk the red carpet instead of the outcast I feel. The black dress fits me like a glove hugging every curve and making my one good leg stand out. My tattoos shine brightly on my skin. Elisabetta and Laura wanted me to cover them as they had done for my wedding, but I refused. I’m beginning to love that part of me. I love how they tell the story of my past even when I can’t remember. I refuse to hide anything anymore. My hair falls perfectly in sexy loose curls. My face looks flawless. Makeup covers every scar and every flaw, making me look like a model. If it weren't for my prosthetic leg hiding beneath my skirt, I would feel every bit like the model they tried to make me appear.
“Have you memorized your speech yet? It will be on the teleprompter, but it helps if you are comfortable with it. To know when you’re going to smile and when you’re going to cry,” Laura says.
I look down at the piece of paper sitting on the table in front of me. I have it memorized. It’s a simple speech, really. I’m supposed to say how much I miss and love Ethan. How his life ended too soon due to a drunk driver. Thank everyone for the donations to fight drunk driving. To stop this from happening to someone in their family. Play the mourning wife, show that the Wolfe family is still strong and will keep fighting despite this loss, and that we are starting this foundation in Ethan’s honor. Just don’t show weakness; Wolfes never show weakness. It all sounds good and like a worthy cause until you realize Laura’s real agenda. It’s not to raise money for a foundation in Ethan’s honor. It’s to raise money for the Wolfe family. The
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