Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

ALEX POV

The drive home should have taken twenty minutes. Somewhere along the way, I missed my turn. I didn't realize it until a red light forced me to stop.

I looked up and none of the buildings looked familiar. I was already three streets past where I should have turned.I let out a quiet breath, made a slow U turn, and drove back.

I found the main road again and kept driving, the steady hum of the car heater filling the silence with a soft warmth. Outside, the world blurred past beneath the fading city lights.

The traffic lights ahead shifted from red to green, their glow casting faint reflections across the windshield. I drove through them without really looking at them.

Every bump in the road sent a dull ache through my jaw. I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror. Even in the dim glow, the bruise was beginning to show. By morning, it would be impossible to hide.

Theo.

He was standing beside Ellis the first time we met..Back then, he was just another face beside Ellis.

I couldn't stop replaying the moment from earlier in my head.The punch and cold anger in his eyes.

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My apartment was dark when I got home.

I flicked on the lamp in the living room. A soft light spread across the floor while the hallway and kitchen stayed in darkness.

I hung my jacket by the door and loosened my tie. My keys slipped from my hand onto the console table. The sharp clink echoed through the apartment before everything fell quiet again.

I walked into the kitchen and filled a glass with water.

I leaned against the counter and took a sip. The glass was cold against my palm.

Within seconds, I wasn't looking at my kitchen anymore.

Ellis stood with a group of investors near the center of the ballroom and Someone said something that made the group laugh.He smiled with them, lifted his glass in acknowledgment, then lowered it again without taking a sip of the wine.

Moments later, someone else called him into another conversation.He nodded when they spoke and smiled at what they said.

By the time the conversation ended and the group left I still couldn't tell what he was thinking.A waiter stopped beside him with a tray of champagne.

Ellis thanked him with a small shake of his head before another guest drew him into yet another conversation.

Some moments later Margaret crossed the ballroom with Victoria beside her. They both laughed at something another guest said as they passed.By the time they reached Ellis, half the room had already noticed them.

He set his glass down and smiled at Victoria then shook the hand she offered.They exchanged a few words and Victoria tipped her head back with a laugh.Ellis smiled politely at her and turned back to the crowd.

Margaret watched them for a moment before turning to greet another guest.

I was the one who'd drawn the line.The one who'd insisted on it.The words from that morning came back as I took another sip of water.

Ellis didn't say anything.He just looked at me while I watched the color drain from his face.

I said the words anyway.

The memory faded as quickly as it had come.

The room was too quiet as I moved away from the cabinet.I reached for my phone on the table and tapped Ellis's name.

The call rang once and a warning flashed across the screen.10% battery remaining.

"Seriously?" I muttered.

Before I could reach for the charger, the screen went black.I stared at my reflection in the dark glass for a second.

Then I plugged the phone into the wall socket and walked back to the living room.I lowered myself onto the couch and rested my head against the armrest.

At some point, I closed my eyes.

When I opened them again, the clock read a little past one.The ache in my jaw came rushing back the moment I sat up.

I pressed my tongue lightly against my teeth and pain shot across my jaw.I walked into the bathroom, put two painkillers into my hand, and swallowed them with water.

The mirror caught my reflection as I passed.The edge of the bruise had started turning purple.By morning, it wouldn't be easy to hide.

I splashed cold water over my face and headed back to the living room.

I dropped onto the couch and shifted until I found a comfortable position then closed my eyes.

I turned onto my side,waited,rolled onto my stomach and closed my eyes again.It didn't help.

I closed my eyes again and turned to my side, finding a comfortable position to lay.

Theo and Victoria slipped back into my mind.Neither of them looked surprised to see the other.

How long had they known each other? Weeks? Months?or even Longer?

Victoria Chen belonged in rooms like that.She greeted people with confidence and laughed easily with everyone who stopped to speak to her..It wasn't hard to see why Margaret had chosen her.

But what if that wasn't the only reason she was there tonight?There was still too much I didn't know.

The thought settled quietly in the back of my mind.I couldn't explain it yet but I couldn't ignore it either.

I reached for the phone on the coffee table.The charging symbol glowed faintly on the screen.My phone had charged just enough to come back to life.

The screen lit up the moment I turned it on.Ellis's name was still at the top of my recent calls.My thumb hovered over it for a long moment.

I could call and ask if he made it home.Instead, I locked the screen and set the phone back down.

The room fell quiet again.

Outside, the first hint of dawn began to erase the darkness beyond the windows.The curtains shifted gently as a cool breeze slipped through the slightly open window, carrying the chilly stillness of early morning with it.