Owned by the CEO.

in th

's

a dream I never wan

me of the most passionate sex we'd ever had. He looked at me like I was the only woman in the world. His smile was lazy,

is, baby," he said, grinning. "It's

tely. Oscar had been my everything for ten years. Why woul

ignature without

s clinging to my skin in all the wrong places, makeup smu

s our an

d around me, but

he'd mee

romi

iting for what f

he hell

y phone aga

around my glass as frust

p with something at work? Or... n

r with a flick of my hand

st. This was my third glass. Or fourth. I wasn't counting anymore. I

n distan

ly there when we talked. His eyes wa

k. Family. Anything but the thin

et it be what

p beep that sliced through t

ca

caught in

my phone, hoping he was texting to say

rs froze ove

age. Thr

s bre

s ov

like

on. No emoti

a t

ke it was trying to break free. My

ars, reduced to a handful

sn't sure if it was the alcohol or the t

ole world aroun

yone else left. My dad died when I was eight. My stepmother barely acknowledged

tepmother said he was her nephew, some dista

nds first. Then lov

. he was

s couldn't

I needed to look him in the eye. I

und me. My purse slipped from the seat, my

the night air. It hit me like a slap, cold, sharp, so

y hand and call

op, and I practically f

?" the dr

well...

houghts. I leaned my head against the window, tryin

hands. His promises. The way he

y of i

er actual

s were like jelly. I climbed out and somehow made

changed

've. A stupid four-digit numbe

r click

rything

ear the couch, was a

ped br

w tha

My best

stery boyfriend had gifted them to her. She never told me who he w

ga

ppled down

mach t

ease,

els silent on the hardwood floor. The hallway was dim, th

I hea

mo

Breat

one, lou

her

er, O

ld col

n short-circuited.

ur

Lau

y hand through breakups, cried with me during my f

who swore she'd

own. I reached the door

r. L

ound his waist, his mouth buried in her neck. Her back arched. Her head

I br

d, wounded thing. I clutched my chest

Couldn't speak. M

my shoulder and hit the flo

snapped tow

was