Page 14 of Shattered Sinner
Me: Yes, let him up. Thank you.
My phone landed with a thump on my counter as my anger won. The knot that was already sitting in my stomach tightened as I realized how silly it was for me to allow him to come up here, yet for some reason, I couldn’t refuse his request. I wanted to see him.
I stood up and glanced around the room, and while it wasn’t a complete mess, it could be neater, but I didn’t have time nor the capacity to even try to do something about it. After all, I shouldn’t be trying to make Easton comfortable because he’d had enough audacity to show up here unannounced.
Each second that passed was nothing but more time for my anger and anxiety to rise and take hold of me.
This was it.
The moment where I’d finally be able to confront Easton about him leaking the pictures he promised he wouldn’t leak if I did as he asked. He was an asshole and a liar, and I needed to remember that.
I paced while I waited, needing something to do as I waited for the knock to sound through the door.
When it finally came, I brushed my hands down my thighs and took a deep breath. When I opened the door, Easton's green eyes greeted me and seemed to pierce through me. There was nothing remorseful in his gaze, and he was anything but happy.
He barged into my apartment without saying a word, and I couldn’t help but take in his appearance. Easton looked as if he’d been through hell and back. His hair was a tangled mess, and his clothes were disheveled. He was sporting a bruise on his cheek, and I wondered if he’d just gotten into a fight. He didn’t appear to be drunk or high, though judging by his current appearance, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was.
Part of me wanted to ask what had happened, but it was none of my business. The most important thing was to get him out of here as quickly as possible.
“Why are you here?” I said as I closed the door, not wanting to draw the attention of any of my neighbors. “I didn’t invite you to my home.”
Easton didn’t say a word as he walked over to my window overlooking Brentson’s landscape. Apparently, it had captured his attention more than the issue at hand.
Sighing, I decided that I would have to push ahead with the issue because this conversation needed to happen whether he liked it or not. “What the hell are you doing here, Easton?”
He whipped around to face me, his eyes filled with fury, but there was something else there. Something I couldn’t quite point out. “Are you fucking engaged?”
I did a double take at his words, somewhat shocked at the words that had come out of his mouth. I’d been mentally preparing myself to bring up the photos, not talk about the plan my parents decided would be the best way to combat any negative press that would come about as a result of these photos being made public. I took a step back and crossed my arms over my chest, bracing myself for his reaction before I responded to his question.
“My relationship status isn’t any of your business.”
“The hell it’s not.”
In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of me, his lips crashing into mine. For a second, I kissed him back, before I came to my senses. I shoved him away and then slapped him, prepared to do more violence to him if necessary. Part of my reaction was because of what he’d done but I was also taking the anger I felt toward myself out on him. I shouldn’t have fallen so easily back into his arms, especially given what I knew now.
I shouldn’t have touched him, but my anger won out in this moment.
“How dare you?” My voice trembled with rage for the man in front of me.
“You don’t have any feelings for him.”
I didn’t want to debate something that was obviously fake, but I needed to because Easton was overstepping so many boundaries.
“Fuck you. None of this is any of your business.”
If Easton hadn’t been angry when he entered my apartment, he definitely was now. I couldn’t recall a time when I’d seen him this pissed off and all of it was focused on me.
“I’m making it my business, princess.”
“Just like you made it your business to send those photos to my father?” There. I’d said it.
The fury in his eyes eased for a moment as he processed what I said. "I didn't—”
"Don't lie to me because I’ve seen them. I know the truth." My voice shook with anger and while I wished it didn’t, it wasn't going to stop me from saying what needed to be said. "You promised you wouldn't leak them, so in reality, all of this is your damn fault."
I glared at him as my arms tightened around my body. It finally felt like I slightly had the upper hand now. “You lied to me,” I uttered each word slowly to make sure he knew how serious I was about this.
I didn’t bother giving him an opportunity to speak. I tried to control the level of my voice, but I could hear it rising with every word. “You broke your promise, and now my parents want to make me marry Tristan Whitmore because of what he owns and who he knows that they believe would stop these photos from ruining my father’s career. So yes, this bullshit is all your fault!”
