002

~YVONNE POV~

I couldn't breathe.

My chest felt like someone had wrapped a fist around my heart and was squeezing. Hard.

I stumbled down the hallway, one hand pressed against the wall to keep myself upright. My vision blurred. Everything looked like it was underwater.

Arthur and Holly.

In his bed. In our bed.

The image kept replaying in my head. His hands in her hair. Her laugh. The way he looked at her like she was everything.

Like I was nothing. My legs gave out halfway to the elevator. I hit the wall and slid down, gasping for air that wouldn't come. My hands clawed at my chest, trying to make the pain stop.

It didn't stop.

God, it hurts. It hurt so much.

How long has this been going on? How many times had he lied to me? How many times had he touched her the way he refused to touch me?

The elevator dinged.

I forced myself to stand. My legs shook. My whole body shook. I had to get out of here. I had to leave before—The elevator doors opened.

I didn't look. I just ran straight into someone. Hard. The crash knocked the air out of my lungs. I stumbled back, my hands flying up.

"I am sorry…I am so sorry…" My voice cracked. Tears spilled down my cheeks. "I am sorry, I didn't….I wasn't looking…I'm sorry…"

I couldn't stop apologizing. The words kept coming, over and over, like if I said them enough, something would stop hurting.

But nothing stopped hurting. My knees buckled. I hit the floor, and the sobs I had been holding back finally broke free. I buried my face in my hands and cried. Right there in the hallway. In front of a stranger.

I didn't care anymore.

Someone knelt in front of me.

A hand reached out. Fingers gripped my chin…firm but not rough…and tilted my face up. I blinked through my tears.

Green eyes. Sharp. Intense. The kind of green that looked like they could see straight through you.

He was beautiful. Like, stupidly beautiful. Dark hair, perfect jawline, the kind of face that belonged on a magazine cover or in some luxury cologne ad.

An angel.

That's what he looked like. An angel kneeling in front of a mess like me. His thumb brushed my chin, almost absent-minded, as he studied my face.

His face was unreadable. Cold, maybe. Or just... detached.

Like he didn't care that I was falling apart in front of him. He opened his mouth to say something…..

"Get your hand off her."

The voice came from behind me.

Arthur's voice.

My whole body went stiff. I turned my head, following the stranger's gaze. Arthur stood at the end of the hallway, breathing hard. His shirt was buttoned wrong.

His hair was still a mess. He looked like he'd thrown himself together in ten seconds and ran after me. His eyes locked on the stranger's hand still holding my chin.

And his face twisted. Angry. Possessive. Like he had any right to look at me like that. "I said get your hand off her," Arthur repeated, his voice low and strong.

The stranger didn't move.

He didn't even blink. He just kept looking at Arthur with those cold green eyes, his thumb still resting against my jaw. And then, slowly…so slowly it felt deliberate…he smiled.

Not a nice smile. A dangerous one.

"Or what?"