ELIJAH
I hated when she looked at me like she didn't know me. i hated that she looked at me with fear as if I'd ever lay a hand on her. I could never bring my mind to it. No matter what she did.
My jaw ticked.
"Crap," she muttered, realizing what she'd done. Her cold gaze met mine, and my skin burned with a yearning for her touch. I inhaled sharply, pulling away. My jaw ticked in frustration.
"If that's the game you want to play," I said, pulling out my phone and dialing a number. "Boss," a voice answered. "I gave you an order. Now do it," I said, hanging up.
"What are you doing?" she asked as I dragged her away.
"Making sure you get a front-row show of what's going to happen," I said, counting down. "3, 2, 1..."
The pizza place erupted in a blast of flames and smoke.
I wasn't vindictive enough to murder innocent people, but timing was everything. A tear slipped down her cheek, and something shattered inside me – something that shouldn't have.
"Bingo," I said, my voice cold. She pushed me back with all her might, but I didn't budge. Her screams were audible over the explosion's din. I pulled her back as she tried to rush toward the shop, her struggles weakening until she fell to the ground.
"Why?" I didn't even have to ask what she meant by that.
"You knew everything. You allied with your family, acted like you were better, but you ended up just like them."
She scoffed, rising to her feet. "You're a hypocrite. You criticise me for protecting my family when you'd do the same in a heartbeat."
"I was willing to give it all up for you," I said, the words tasting bitter. "For you, I'd have done it, but you wouldn't have done the same."
She chuckled, a harsh sound. "I'm glad you didn't. I wouldn't want to fake every second with you. And you know what? I hate you. I hate you like I've never hated anyone before. You can rot in hell, and I couldn't care less!"
"Then why are you still here?" I asked, the question hanging in the air. She didn't answer.
"You know what, Elijah? I'm going to do you a favor," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "I'm leaving. I'll get away from you, and you'll never have to see me again. A place where no one knows about my past, about you or our families – that sounds like paradise."
"You're not going anywhere," I said, my grip tightening.
"Like hell I'll listen to you," she retorted. One part of me wanted to hurt her like she'd hurt me, but another part couldn't bear the thought of being away from her.
"So that's what you're going to do now? Be a coward?" I taunted.
She shrugged. "Call it what you may. This is my chance to be free from all this. From you too."
"Fine, run away from your problems like a coward," I said, my words laced with contempt.
"These aren't my problems to fix," she said, her voice firm. "And neither are they problems I wanted."
"Darling, we don't choose our problems," I said, my tone cold.