My love.
He leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes wearily. Goddammit, why did he end up saying those words anyway? And why did she have to make such a huge deal out of it? She hadn’t batted an eyelash even when he called her the same thing in Greek. So why now?
Besides, he was marrying her tomorrow. What more could she ask for?
But still the feeling persisted. He was not in the habit of leaving the office early, but he found himself curtly informing his secretary to cancel all his meetings for the day and driving back home at ten in the morning.
Damn you, Velvet, Mykolas thought even as he overtook another car in his haste to get back. He had a f**king feeling that if he didn’t get back as soon as he could, the worst kind of shit would hit the fan.
And he was right.
****
Velvet counted ten full minutes since Mykolas left before she got out of bed. Leaving herself no time to think, she moved as quickly as she could as she took a shower and began packing her things. She might not have a job now, but at least she had enough money saved to tide her over until she figured things out.
Memories crowded her as she went through each room of Mykolas’ penthouse residence, which was really more like a one-floor mansion. A single floor that was probably the size of a basketball court –bleachers included.
The spacious kitchen with its gleaming granite countertops and shiny silver equipment, rarely used until she had come to live with Mykolas. Now, it was one of the most used rooms in the house because Mykolas liked having her as breakfast before the actual thing.
The balcony, with its marble balustrade, was where she and Mykolas sometimes had coffee before he left for work and if she was in the mood to tease him, where she would insist on giving him a blowjob because she knew that only with her was he amenable to risking what he considered as exhibitionist sex.
And there was the library. There, he would work at night after dinner, and she would be with him reading a book. Sometimes, she would get him to talk and other times he would get her to talk. They never went all out with their confidences, but it was easy to read between the lines when you loved the other person so much.
But it was not the same for him.
She had to remember that.
Their bedroom – no, his bedroom – had the most memories, and each one of them hurt. Sure, they had fantastic sex here all the time, but it wasn’t just that. She loved the after-sex part even more, the times when he would want her close and they would just talk. When he was tired, she would try to make him smile by telling him of her outrageous plans about what she would buy once she became Mrs. Sallis. His hard body rocking with his silent laughter would be her first reward, the second of course was having Mykolas go down on her.
It was here in this bedroom that he had also given Velvet her engagement ring, the first morning she had spent on his bed. She had woken up with a beautiful ring on her finger, with Mykolas cheerfully telling her he had bought the most audacious and gaudiest ring he could find.
This way, he had told her in a mock serious voice, you can make every woman envious when you tell them you only had to flutter your lashes to get me to buy the biggest rock in town.
Velvet blinked her eyes furiously. They were good memories, but she couldn’t hope it would be like that forever. She had to leave now before she lost herself in her dreams and made herself vulnerable again.
Velvet was in the act of dragging her suitcase down the stairs when she heard the door being unlocked. Her heart jumped to her throat when it started to open. For a moment, she felt like she was about to face intruders again, and she was all alone to defend herself.
But it was only Mykolas.
She almost breathed a sigh of relief when the thought hit her.
Oh my God, it was Mykolas! What was he doing here?
Velvet was so stunned that she dropped her suitcase, and she screamed bloody murder when it fell on her foot. As usual, Mykolas moved lightning fast in such situations, and Velvet found herself being swooped up in his arms as he carried her to the sofa.
Down on one knee, he gently took off one ballet flat and lifted her foot for inspection. “This will likely take a day or two to heal.” Looking up, Mykolas was indifferent when he saw Velvet’s teeth clenched with pain. “Do you think what happened to you is fate’s way of punishing you for trying to leave me?”
She glared at him. “Asshole.”
Normally, that would have made him smile, but this time Mykolas’ face only hardened. “Why are you leaving me? And why like this?”
“None of your f**king business.” And that was all she was going to say about it, Velvet thought, lips clamping shut and her gaze resolutely fixed on the gold-stenciled decoration of the wallpaper behind Mykolas. Whatever happened, she mustn’t look at Mykolas. If she did, it would be all over. Completely over.
“What are you doing here so early anyway?” she muttered as the silence between them grew and became heavier with tension.
He asked sarcastically, “I apologize for not asking what time I’m allowed to be in my house. Is it too terribly inconvenient for you?”
She snapped back, “Kinda!”
Losing his patience, he forced Velvet to meet his gaze. “No more games! Why are you leaving me? Have I treated you so badly in any way that you have no choice but to leave?”
Goddamn him, Velvet thought as she tried her best to stop a furious rush of tears. If he had made it seem like it was her fault then she would have known what to say, could have taken the offensive because he was being an ass. But he hadn’t. He was asking what he had done when in truth, it was all her.
Mykolas cursed when Velvet only glared at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. “You are so f**king stubborn. I don’t even know why I put up—”
“Then don’t,” Velvet shouted before she could stop herself. Oh my God, she was turning into a shrew right before her very eyes. If she had any ounce of pride and dignity left, she would leave right now before it got worse and she said more stuff that shouldn’t be said.
But Mykolas only shook his head at her. “You are not making any damn sense—”
“I’m leaving you, and that’s it!” The words left both of them shell-shocked.
Mykolas’ face had whitened. Hearing the words said so clearly brought the truth home. He tried imagining Velvet out of his life, but everything was dark and pointless. “Why the f**k are you doing this to me, Velvet?”
She shook her head. “I just have to leave.”
“That’s not an answer.”