Page 101 of A King’s Obsession

I had no job, no apartment, and every damn thing I owned was sitting inside a house that belonged to somebody else's husband.

How the fuck did I get here?

When Ashlynn convinced me to leave Rosemont, I thought I was finally getting away from all the bullshit I'd spent my life dealing with. And for a minute, things were actually looking up.

I had a decent job at Vice, money coming in, and a little something saved. Then Ezra started talking about opening a bar with me, giving me forty percent ownership so I wouldn't have to be his employee anymore.

And my dumb ass believed him.

I really thought I was about to have something of my own. Now I didn't even know if that bar was real or another lie he'd fed me to get what he wanted.

And then there was Ashlynn.

I loved that girl, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little pissed off with her too. She'd convinced me to come down here, promising we'd be together and living better than we had in Rosemont. I knew Malachi was supposed to take care of her, but I wasn't expecting her to get married behind my back and move out of our apartment, leaving me trying to figure out where the fuck I was supposed to go.

I couldn't afford the place on my own, and that's how I'd ended up under Ezra's roof.

I knew Ashlynn hadn't intentionally put me in that position. Hell, she'd helped me more than anybody ever had. But that didn't change the fact that I was right back where I started, depending on somebody else for a roof over my head.

Only this time, I'd been stupid enough to fall in love with the motherfucker.

I closed my eyes, remembering the way Ezra had held me after taking my virginity. How safe I'd felt lying against his chest, believing every word he'd whispered to me.

All while he had a whole fucking wife.

"Stupid ass," I muttered, turning away from the mirror.

Back in the bedroom, I grabbed my purse and dumped everything onto the bed. I checked my bank balance, already knowing it wasn't enough to get me very far.

Between what I'd saved at Vice and the money Ashlynn had given me, I could survive for a little while. But Westhaven wasn't cheap, and without a job, getting approved for an apartment was going to be damn near impossible.

I tossed my purse aside and sat on the edge of the bed.

Maybe I could find another bartending job. Or a cheaper place outside the city. Hell, at this point, I might have to rent a room from somebody.

Anything was better than going back to Ezra.

I reached for my phone and powered it on.

Within seconds, notifications started pouring in.

Missed calls. Voicemails. Text messages.

Ezra's name was everywhere.

Ashlynn's too.

I stared at the screen, debating whether I even wanted to read any of that shit. Before I could open a message, my phone started ringing.

Montae.

I stared at his name flashing across the screen, wondering what the hell he could possibly want. The last time I'd seen that nigga, he'd been in bed with my own damn mama. Just seeing his name was enough to piss me off.

I rolled my eyes before answering.

"What, Montae?"

"Jru." His voice sounded unusually serious. "Where you at?"