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Stefan had buried his heart so deep and so long ago that he didn’t even have one any away froaze head-on “I never want to hear anything but the truth from you, Stefan”
“Deal,” he said with an indulgent s promise “Now it’s time to put your cards on the table, bella Without fear”
She knew exactly where she stood with him; she would always know
His brand of friendship—eviscerating and without an ounce of pretension—hat she needed to remake herself, to redefine herself Stefan was the perfect path for her to walk on toward becoain
“As gratifying as it is to learn I could have millions if I just made myself your charity case, I didn’t co from you for free”
“What do you want, then?”
Her chest felt so tight that she had to break his gaze Had to force herself to speak past the sound of Jackson’s and Ashley’s coh her
Jackson’s cheating on her, using her for her connections, reducing her entire identity to the value she provided him in his blasted business, scraped her raw But that he could be so casually cruel about her feelings, that he would betray every aspect of their lives together, that he would laugh at her fears and insecurities behind her backit festered inside her like a putrefied wound
It tainted every aspect of her soto despise herself
And she wouldn’t be able to move forward, wouldn’t be able to look herself in the eye unless she showed hi the consequences Unless she proved to him and herself that she was more than what he had called her
“I want to teach Jackson a lesson he will never forget”
Cold—blanching and eviscerating—dawned in Stefan’s gaze and he stepped away as if she was the very plague His jaw clenched so tight that it was a wonder he spoke through it “I will not play petty games so that you can et out Now Before I physically restrain you fro back to that leech”
“I don’t want to make him jealous I want to remove Jackson from every part of my life I don’t want even his shadow to touch me anymore”
“That is as si away, Clio”
“Not withouthim realize what he’s done to me”
Disbelief shone in his eyes “Earlier, you wouldn’t believe a word I said How do I know you won’t go running back to hiain?”