All Chapters of It Kills Me: A Forbidden Dark Romance: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

“Make him pay for what he’s done to you—to us.”I typed the message, deleted it, and then retyped it. It sat there for a couple minutes before I sent it, unsure if I’d just made a strategic move—or doomed myself. Let’s talk.The three dots appeared instantly, like he’d been staring at his phone when the message came through. Let’s.I’ll meet you at Le Conte at 7.It’s a date.I ignored his last message and locked the screen. There was a painful pit in my stomach, an unease that no amount of wine would drown. My nerves were balled into knots, and that made a flush of dread flow through me. I thought I could do this, but a simple text exchange was enough to make me lose my balance.At seven, I arrived at the restaurant, wearing a black dress with matching heels, my heavy coat keeping me insulated from the cold outside. I uncinched the sash and opened the buttons before my coat was taken. Axel had already arrived, so the hostess guided me to his table.He sat there alone, in dark jeans a

I wanted to show up on her doorstep, but I knew coming to her residence unannounced wouldn’t be welcome. So, I texted her. I’d like to speak with you.Her dots showed up instantly. What?In person.Unless you’re showing me a PowerPoint presentation, we can speak over the phone.So we can speak in person when you want to, but not when I want to?Yep. That’s what happens when you stick your dick in someone else.I almost chucked the phone at the wall. So fucking infuriating. I’m coming by. See you in 20.I won’t open the door.Like that will stop me. I left my place and drove to hers. I knew she’d moved a couple months ago. Found that out by chance. It was a bigger place on a nicer street. There was a garage underneath the building to park her car. I preferred it to the building where she’d lived before, so I was pleased by the news.I took the stairs to her floor then stopped in front of her door. I tried the knob and was pleased to see that it was unlocked, so I let myself inside. The

SCARLETTI lied to my friends about Axel. Told them we got back together and we were eager to get married. I couldn’t tell them the truth, that it was all business and corruption. We went to pick out my dress from the bridal boutique, and what should have been one of the greatest days of my life turned out to be one of the most meaningless.I didn’t care what Axel thought when he saw me in it. I didn’t care if he thought I was beautiful. I didn’t care what anyone thought, because this wedding wasn’t real, at least not to me. It was just a means to an end, and at some point, my father and I would figure out a way to cut him out of our lives and take back the crown.I would remarry someday, and that would be the real wedding.I picked out a dress, the seamstress took my measurements, and then we left the store to get dinner. I always had a good time with my friends, but in light of what we were celebrating, I found it hard to live in the moment. Instead of starting a new life, I felt li

SCARLETTThe ballroom was lit with chandeliers, the round tables covered with champagne-gold linens and tall vases of white flowers. Friends and family were everywhere, mostly on my side since Axel’s parents had chosen not to come, and therefore, his other family members chose to opt out as well.It was a beautiful wedding, but it still didn’t feel like mine.Axel came up from behind me and took my hand. “Dance with me.” He pulled me with him and didn’t pause for an objection. A slow song came over the sound system for our first dance, and after he spun me around, he pulled me close, his hand in mine, and swayed from side to side with me, his big palm flat against my lower back.His blue eyes were on me, his jawline shaved clean for the special day, and he looked at me the way he always had—like I was the only thing that mattered. “I like that dress.” A faint smile moved across his lips, a playfulness entering his eyes.It was the Axel I remembered, but he was here in the present, not

“And the man who has broken me beyond all repair.” I’d spent those six months trying to convince myself I was okay, when I was anything but. “For the first month, all I did was stay home every night and cry. There were days when I couldn’t get out of bed, so I lied and said I was sick, when my father knew I wasn’t. Then I started to drink a lot, going through a bottle of wine by myself every night. When that didn’t work, I turned to sex. But that just made me feel lonelier.” I could feel his stare on the side of my face even though I couldn’t see him. It was like a spot of sunlight on a summer day. “And when that didn’t work, I came to the conclusion that nothing would ever work. So I’ve been walking this world like a zombie, feeling nothing at all.” The silence stretched after I finished speaking.Axel didn’t say anything. What could he possibly say to that?After a moment of silence, I turned back to look at him.His face was flushed, his veins were more prominent, and his eyes were