All Chapters of It Kills Me: A Forbidden Dark Romance: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

“He’s young. Still has time.”“I’ve encouraged him, but he doesn’t seem interested.”“It’s hard to open your heart to someone when there’s an endless line of warm beds.” He took another drink, and that was when the basket of bread was delivered. Quiet conversations happened around us. Utensils scraped against plates as people cut into their meals.“So, you cook?”“Yes. How did you know that?”He hesitated as he looked at me, one arm resting on the tablecloth. “Your father mentioned it.”“I recently got a new place that has a bigger kitchen, so I’ve done a lot of cooking. It’s a major time investment and the dishes are a pain in the ass, but there’s nothing like a home-cooked meal. Now that you’ve taken me to your restaurant, I’ll have to take you to mine.”“You want to see me again?”“Maybe,” I said noncommittally. “When we get back to my apartment, I can make us dessert.”He stilled as he stared at me, his dark eyes locked on mine with a grip that wouldn’t release.I wasn’t sure if I

I did my best not to care, but my breath betrayed me when I breathed a sigh of relief. “Did she…like you?”He stared at me before he took a drink. “I don’t think so.”“So, she didn’t make a move?”His answer was immediate. “No.”Theo was one of the best-looking guys I’d seen, apart from myself, and I was afraid one look at him would send her into a whirlwind. Imagining her with any guy made me uncomfortable, but one who could compete with me was a different situation. “And you didn’t either?”“Like I said—nothing happened.” He popped the cigar back into his mouth.“So…was it a boring date?”“I guess you could say that. I didn’t want to be there, and she seemed caught off guard that I asked her out.”“What did you guys talk about?”He gave a shrug. “Not much. But you did come up…”My heart gave a painful squeeze. “I’m guessing good things weren’t said.”He let smoke float out of his mouth. “No.”I hated Dante more than I ever had. “Fuck.”“She says she’s over you…but not over what happ

I was on the couch in front of the TV, the rain still tapping endlessly against the windows. Sometimes there was a gust of wind, and that made the sound so intense I couldn’t hear the TV for a few seconds. I missed the summer season, the longer hours of daylight, the warmth that stretched late into the evenings. But I knew I wouldn’t mind winter if I could share it with a man who kept me warm, who made the evenings cozy rather than lonely. When those thoughts hit me, I thought of Axel…and I didn’t know why.Maybe it was because I didn’t get any closure. I never actually confronted him about what happened. I took the high road instead and ignored him, but when he didn’t even notice that I’d ghosted him, that seemed to hurt more.If someone hated you, at least they felt something toward you.But with Axel, it was like he didn’t feel anything at all.Ever since my father had let him go, he’d been on my mind. I wondered how he’d taken the news, if he was upset about the dissolved partners

AXELA week had passed.The business was fully transferred to our possession, and we moved the products and teams to our own fulfillment centers. I suspected Dante would retaliate in some way, but all had been quiet on that front.It was a promising new business venture for Theo and me, bringing in more money than all of our investments put together. The men who once served Dante seemed happy with the change, because we choose to be cooperative rather than vindicative. Dante thought leadership was about barking orders to your inferiors, when in reality, it was about guiding your team to success.Theo stopped by my place so we could go over the numbers together, with scotch and cigars to celebrate. “Easiest money I’ve ever made.” Theo tossed the sheet onto the coffee table. “He spent his life building this business, and we just—” he snapped his fingers “—took it like that. Fuck, that feels good.”It didn’t feel good to me. I didn’t take his business just from him—but Scarlett as well.

“So now it’s up to me to save our business by marrying a man I don’t want? By marrying a man you hated so much that you backstabbed him?” It was ludicrous. “No. Fucking. Way.”My father turned quiet, dropping the argument. “I’m going to give you some time to think about it.”“I don’t need to think about it, Dad.”“Well, if you don’t…” He rubbed his hands together. “Everything I built will be gone. Overnight. As if decades of sacrifice and hard work never happened. Get me back our company, and I’ll take care of Axel later.”My eyes narrowed on his face. “That’s a joke, right? You underestimated him before, and you would underestimate him again? Do you ever learn your lesson?” I never spoke to my father this way, but I’d lost my sense after he asked me for this asinine favor.“It’s just an option if the marriage is unsuitable to you.”“I’m sorry, Dad. But I can’t do it.”He gave a slight nod, his eyes full of disappointment. “I understand.”I could feel his emotion in his words, feel th