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“I’m so sorry.”
“He tried tokillme,” I yell, jumping to my feet. “Ellie, I loved you. How could you do this? I’d die before I did something like this to you. Do you understand?”
“That’s enough.”
I turn at the sound of Graham’s voice. He stands at the door… and of course, he’s got tears in his eyes too. It seems the pair of them believe that having the tiniest shred of remorse makes this all A-freaking-okay.
“So, it’s fine for your shit to almost get me killed, but I can’t be mad about it?”
“I told you I could handle this alone,” Ellie says to Graham.
He sighs, his hands on his hips. His lips tremble as he tries not to cry. It’s making me want to weep with them, like some warped version of the life we should live, all in this together, handling this mess as a cohesive unit instead of them conspiring against me.
“We needed the money,” he whispers.
“I know. Damien got a payout. He has the funds to help Ellie. Our department is the ass of TechGuard. They don’t give us the benefits we deserve. I get all that. But how could you do this to me?”
“How was I supposed to know that you were going to get involved with Luke Cross?” Graham snaps. “How could I possibly see that happening? Seriously. Explain that to me. Make it make sense. Was I supposed to know that he’d be waiting to fix your laptop? That you’d end up dating?”
“You sent Damien after mebeforeI met Luke,” I hiss. “He was the one who spilled coffee all over the laptop. Why, Graham? Was there something on there you didn’t want me to see?”
“He said he wouldn’t hurt you, and he didn’t,” Graham mutters.
“Butafter? You must’ve known he was going to do something rash when I dug deeper.”
Graham buries his face in his hands and sobs violently. Ellie cries too. I storm past Graham, completely sick of them.
“Sera, wait?—”
But I ignore him. I’m tired of it. Waiting. I’ve done enough. I waited for Mom and Dad to prioritize me over their addiction, waited for Graham and Ellie to be the role models they seemed to be when we first met. Waited for life to stop being so chaotic.
The cops give me a ride home once I exit the medical center. I rush upstairs, full of manic energy, pacing around, not sure what to do. I end up cleaning the apartment. Seriously, it’s the only way to keep myself busy, mindlessly scrubbing and vacuuming, losing myself in the simplicity of it.
Hours pass with me in this trance. My phone goes off several times: Graham first calling, then texting me.
Graham: We’re so sorry. Let’s talk about this.
There’s nothing to talk about. Perhaps he had a good reason, wanting to care for Ellie.Maybethat was enough of a reason to sabotage Luke’s keynote speech, considering nobody would get hurt. But the rest of it? Switching the numbers? Helping Damien set up a trap for me?
He calls me several more times. I ignore my phone, but then it becomes too much. I can’t stand the noise of the ringtone. Reaching for my phone, I answered without looking at the screen.
“Don’t you get it?” I yell. “I don’t want anything to do with you. I never have – got it?” I’m ranting, saying things I don’t mean, but it comes tumbling out in a flurry of pure hated and betrayal. “You took pity on me, good for you. Should I be grateful? Should I spend the rest of my life on my knees, singing your praises? You’renothingto me.”
I hang up the phone, then toss it onto the couch. Screw them. I don’t want anything to do with them. Ever. I don’t need anybody…
Except Luke.
Chapter Twenty
Luke
I sit outside her apartment building, staring at my phone. When the private jet landed and all my texts went through to her, I thought maybe things were going to be different. She unblocked my number… that must mean something, right?
But her rant on the phone, telling me she wants nothing to do with me and I’m nothing to her… Why am I even still sitting here? What’s wrong with me? I called her to tell her I’m outside. I flew all this way for her, ignoring countless NeuroDrive responsibilities, so I could be here for her.
And that’s how she treats me. I sigh, running my hand through my hair. If I had any sense, I’d get the hell out of here.
My phone rings. It’s her again. I think about not answering it. She probably wants to yell at me again, but I came all this way. I might as well see this through.