Page 96 of Settling the Score

She didn’t want to get bogged down in that though. In any event, Astrid had written an incredible article that did everything she’d promised: she’d rehabilitated Blake’s image, and in the process, she’d rehabilitated him. ‘My point is, you were the worst ex of my life, Aiden! I didn’t get over you. I didn’t move on. I’ve never moved on. And I don’t know what that means?—’

‘Don’t you?’ he interrupted, gently, moving a little closer towards her.

She took an abrupt step backwards, talking over him. ‘This week wasn’t about a fresh start.’

‘Then what was it?’

‘Fun. Nothing. Closure.’ She searched around for the right word. ‘It was an end, not a beginning.’

‘I don’t believe you.’

‘That’s your prerogative, but I’m not lying to you.’

‘Sienna—’

‘Please, stop,’ she begged, trying – and failing – to channel her friends’ inner-strength.

He was quiet, his lips forming a mutinous line.

‘I’m grateful for this week. I’m grateful for seeing you again, for talking to you. I think we both understand each other so much more now, and whatever we were back then, our relationship deserves that.’

His jaw throbbed visibly.

‘I understand why you left. I even understand why you cut me out the way you did. But I’ll never trust you again. I don’t want to trust you. Don’t you see, Aiden? You hurt me because I let you. I gave you my heart, and that gave you all the power. I’ll never do that again.’

‘But this week?—’

‘Has been sex. Not for one second have I wanted anything more from you than that.’

He blinked, like he couldn’t quite make sense of that.

‘I’ll never trust you not to hurt me, even though I understand it wasn’t your intention.’ She sobbed. ‘And without trust, what kind of love is there?’

‘Sienna.’ His voice was rough, as if dragged from deep inside him. ‘I’m not the same guy I was then.’

‘Nor am I. I’m completely different. You broke me, and I’ve turned myself into someone else. Someone different. Stronger.’

‘Sienna,’ he groaned, taking another step forwards.

‘No.’ She moved away from him again. ‘It’s over, Aiden. Once and for all.’

‘Don’t shut the door on this.’

She made a deranged sound. ‘You did that. The door has been closed ever since. This week doesn’t change a damn thing.’

‘It could if we wanted it to.’

‘But I don’t. I want to go back to my real life, and forget all about you. The thing is, none of it really made sense to me. I couldn’t understand why you left. Why you didn’t answer my calls. But now I know, now I understand, and I’ve had a chance to make my peace with it, I think I might actually be able to forget about you.’ Now it was Sienna who put a hand to his chest. ‘It really is over, Aiden. And for the first time in a long time, I’m okay with that.’ She forced a smile. ‘I’m more than okay. I’m finally free.’ And then, she turned her back and walked away, before he could see the tears streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

A bridesmaid could hardly desert the wedding, even if she was completely and utterly mentally spent, so she took a scant few minutes to tidy up her face, settle her nerves, chug half a glass of bubbly before rejoining the reception, focusing all of her attention on Chuck Daly, who’d become unwittingly, the newest recruit to the Karma Club.

It helped to have something concrete to focus on.

To think about getting revenge for Paige, finally. The last ex the club had to seek revenge on.

Because, she supposed, they’d done what they’d set out to with Aiden.