Page 229 of Damaged Mogul

This is a bad joke. It has to be.

“I love you, too.”

Four words that ripple out of the mouth of the man I’m so crazy about, landing in a lake like a cannon ball.

The air turns to concrete in my lungs.

I’m living a nightmare.

For several seconds, all I can do is choke on the shock of those words.

My panicked thoughts spiral.

Blood roars in my ears.

The jealousy I felt before is dwarfed in comparison to the cyclone whirling inside me.

An invisible hand wraps around my heart and squeezes hard.

Gage kisses her forehead with tenderness.

He cares for this woman.

No, Lily, he loves her.

Ba boom.

Ba boom.

Ba boom.

There’s a chaotic chorus going on in my head––and in my heart. My poor heart. I fight not to bring my hand up to it to rub at the pain at my chest.

The video stops and jumps to another scene.

Gage and a short man in a suit that doesn’t look as sharp as Gage’s is stuffing designer luggage in the trunk of a car. The tall woman he professed his love to is standing next to him.

She doesn’t travel light.

The short man closes the trunk and rushes to open the passenger door.

Gage reaches out for the woman’s hand and guides her inside the vehicle. Before he closes the door, she reaches out and caresses his face.

My heart shatters in a million pieces.

The video cuts again.

The next shot shows the driver pulling out his and hers luggage from the trunk.

In the next shot, Gage embraces the woman in his arms, and together, they walk towards the entry to Van Nuys Airport. As they’re about to enter, Gage drops a soft kiss on the woman’s forehead.

She smiles up at him.

What.

The.

Fuck.