chance. That he had changed on her. Changed the rules and she was trying to catch up, but it was hard.
Uncertain why he fell for it, he gave her another chance. Things were good for another year and then once again, the problems started. Every time she accused him of not giving her a chance, he felt guilty. Guilty because maybe he wasn’t giving her everything he should.
Maybe his mind—and possibly his heart—was thinking of someone else farther away. Someone he wasn’t sure he could ever have but desperately craved.
His shame over those thoughts always forced him to give Linda another shot, no matter how much he told himself not to do it. He was a sucker and he knew it. He had no one to blame but himself.
No one knew what his relationship was like. Not even Alec, who knew everything about him. He couldn’t let anyone know what a fool he was and he couldn’t figure a way out of the vicious circle he was stuck in.
The mood swings, the accusations, and the lies continued. The lies were the worst.
Time just seemed to fly by. Maybe he was content, or maybe he was too absorbed in building Harper Construction with Alec—which was another guilt he had—taking time away from her. Either way, somehow it was four years later and he couldn’t do it anymore. It needed to stop.
So he told her he was done, it wasn’t working, and he needed to move on. Only this time her lie was bigger than ever before. And he couldn’t take the chance she wasn’t lying, because at that moment he really believed she was telling the truth—until he found out differently.
By this time, he’d lost too much of himself. Refusing to lose anymore, he finally cut his ties. He wasn’t going to let what happened before become another issue. There was nothing she could do to drag him back again. He finally learned his lesson and took a stand. It was over. Forever.
The last six months had been hard though, since he had ended things. She wouldn’t give up. Called him nonstop that first month, showed up at his office at odd times, saying she needed to see him, that she missed him. But he held firm. He wasn’t falling for it anymore. He couldn’t do it.
He was ready to move on with his life. She had played him all along and he’d been stupid for longer than he should have been. Longer than he cared to admit.
His family was worried. She would stop them occasionally, almost like she was following them places, and she would ask about him, ask about them. Give that false sense of sincerity that she really cared about him and his family. Trying to find her way back.
She’d never cared about anyone but herself though. Thankfully, no one in his family believed her, and for the millionth time he questioned why he’d been so stupid as to fall for her in the beginning.
Slowly the calls stopped, the text messages were fewer and fewer, and she seemed to get the message and move on. He hadn’t seen or heard a peep from her in two months, and he was happy. Finally truly happy. Planning and ready to move on with someone else. Somehow.
Sophia. She was going to make him work for it. He knew and was looking forward to it. But he hadn’t missed her concern tonight, pity almost. He didn’t want anyone’s pity, least of all hers.
And what did she mean by that statement at the end. What did Linda’s appearance have to do with her?
Laying his head on the back of the couch, he cursed his rotten luck. For five years he couldn’t have the woman he wanted because of Linda. Now Sophia was giving him cryptic messages leading him to believe that even though Linda was gone he still wouldn’t have her.
Sophia had a rude awaking if she actually believed that.
He told her he was done waiting and he meant it. She better be ready for him.
All of Me
Settling down on her couch and crossing her bare feet in front of her on the coffee table, Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. Tax season was officially over. Well, at least the deadline had passed over a week
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