I felt pity.
She scoffed as Ash folded his arms over his chest, clearly settling in for whatever show he thought was going to happen. But there wasn’t going to be a show. My peace was something I cared about, and after a lifetime of leaving it unprotected, I wasn’t in the mood to let those walls fall again.
“Your b-boyfriend?” she spat.
I pulled out my phone, shot a text to Hayes before punching in 911. I didn’t dial, though. There was something laced throughout her southern charm “bless your heart” voice that caught my attention. Disbelief. Not in me—but in Hayes.
“Hayes cheated on me?” she barked out. “Are you—”
“Your relationship with Hayes ended nearly two years ago.” I cut her off calmly. “You’re nothing to him anymore, and this delusional attempt to somehow weasel your way back into his life isn’t just pathetic, it’s disturbing.”
My cool assessment of her only seemed to trigger her more. “You don’t know anything about our relationship!”
“You cheated on him,” I murmured, bringing my hands to my front, clasping them, digging my black nails into the tops ofthem to keep myself grounded. She staggered back, paling as her chest heaved with denial. “You took another man into his bed.”
“You don’t know—”
“I’m calling the cops,” I told her, inhaling a deep, steadying breath. I had too much on my plate right now. Hayes was dealing with my crazy ex and I needed him to be gone by the time he got home. She didn’t deserve to be in his presence, to see how beautiful he was, and how, despite her efforts, he remained unbroken by her actions.
“Hayes and I need to have a conversation,” she blurted, holding her hand out to stop me. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Are you in danger?” Ash drawled, bored and over it.
She blinked. “No.”
“Are you in need of security?”
“No.”
“Then you have nothing to discuss with my friend. Now, Margo is going to call the cops. Either they can escort you out by your knock-off designer heels, or you can leave on your own.” He paused and took a step closer. “And don’t ever set foot in Colorado or Oregon again.”
Veronica’s bottom lip wobbled. “Dela is the one who encouraged me to come.”
“Dela?” I parroted under my breath, my brows snapping together.
Ash didn’t hear me. “Then I’m sure Hayes will be having a conversation with his sister soon.”
“She is the one who told me to come! To try and reconcile with him because he needs to be happy!” she cried, stomping her foot.
“I make him happy.”
The statement flew from my tongue, firm and everlasting. Ash looked at me over his shoulder and smiled, his eyes shimmering with pride.
“Excuse me?” she hissed at me. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
“You are now,” I said and walked down the hall. I stopped a foot from her, and behind her, I could see Hayes’ bedroom. I pointed to the massive bed against the wall. “He made love to me there this morning.” She flinched, but I didn’t care. “We’re taking things slow, and he hasn’t told Dela or anyone in his family about us yet. Then again, it’s none of their business.” I shrugged. “I don’t push his boundaries; I just respect them. I’m sorry his sister gave you false hope, but Veronica, after cheating on him, you have no right to harbor any shred of hope.”
Another flinch.
Pity flared in my heart, noting the pain in her eyes. I softened my voice. “You lost him, and it’s time you process that.” Her eyes welled with tears, but the harsh words I expected never came. Though I would never respect her as a person because of her infidelity against Hayes, I wished that, one day, the self-hatred in her eyes would fade. In order for that to happen, she needed to heal. The first step was to let go of Hayes.
“Please leave,” I whispered. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Perhaps it was the gentleness of my voice that compelled her to move. That or the shame of her actions finally had settled on her shoulders. Regardless of what it was, she did, subtly nodding to herself, backing up to grab her purse before gently bringing it over her shoulder. Silently, I moved out of the way and gave Ash a single nod, silent communication to let her go with mercy. Her heels clicked as she went down the hall. I remained where I was, watching Ash turn and follow her out. A few moments later, the front door opened and shut.
Ash’s voice was gentle when he came back into the hall, leaning against the mouth of it. “Gotta be honest here, Margo, I didn’t expect that from you.”
“Expect what?”