Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“And,” I continue, “if I even suspect you’re trying anything like this with anyone else, I’ll go straight to the police. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Tyler whimpers. “It won’t happen again. I swear.”
I look at Jack, who’s watching me with a mix of admiration and concern. “Let’s go,” I say softly.
Jack hesitates, clearly torn between his desire for justice and his concern for me. Finally, he nods. “Okay. But he doesn’t just get to walk away from this. I understand what you want, but no way can we trust this fucker.”
I turn to Tyler, who’s watching us with a mix of fear and hope. “Jack . . . I want this awful night to end.”
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he says, his voice steadier than I feel. “You’re going to resign. Effective immediately. You’ll cite personal reasons, health concerns, whatever. But you’re done at Moth to the Flame.”
Tyler opens his mouth to protest, but Jack takes a menacing step forward, and he quickly shuts it again.
“And if I ever hear that you’ve so much as looked at another woman the wrong way,” he continues, “everything comes out. The blackmail, the assault, all of it. Do you understand? I have close friends on the force, and I’ll have you locked up so fast.”
Tyler nods frantically. “Yes, yes, I understand. I’ll resign first thing in the morning, I swear.”
He scrambles to his feet, wincing as he touches his bloodied nose. He gives us one last fearful look before hurrying down the hallway, disappearing into the stairwell.
As soon as he’s gone, my legs give out from under me. Jack catches me before I hit the floor, his strong arms wrapping around me.
“I’ve got you,” he reassures, holding me close. “You’re safe now.”
I lean into him, letting out a shaky breath. For a moment, I forget everything that’s happened between us, all the lies and betrayal. In this moment, he’s just Jack—the man who came to my rescue when I needed him most.
But as the adrenaline fades, reality comes crashing back. I pull away from him, wrapping my arms around myself. “Stay away. I told you to stop stalking me!”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jack
“I know this is hard to believe, but I wasn’t stalking,” I counter.
Chloe’s eyes narrow, a mix of anger and confusion on her face. “So you just happened to be in the neighborhood of Moth to the Flame? Come on, Jack. Stop treating me like an idiot.”
“I know how it looks, but I wasn’t following you. When you left your house in the middle of a snow storm, Mr. Haven called me worried about you. He didn’t think you should be out in the weather. I was already in it, working at the station due to high calls. And well . . .” I take a deep breath, knowing I need to explain everything. “I had no idea where you’d go this late and in a storm. So I was just going to start checking off your usual places. Coming here was just one of the spots.”
Chloe’s expression softens slightly, but I can still see the doubt in her eyes. “And you just happened to arrive at the exact moment I needed help?”
“Thank god I did.”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” she admits, her voice barely above a whisper. “Everything I thought I knew has been turned upside down.”
“I know. And I’ll regret that for the rest of my life. But Chloe, you have to believe me when I say that my feelings for you are real. Everything between us—our conversations, our connection—that was all genuine.”
“How can I trust that? How can I trust anything you say?”
“Because I’m telling you the whole truth now,” I insist, taking a step toward her. “No more secrets, no more lies. Ask me anything, and I’ll answer honestly.”
“Why didn’t you just talk to me? After the accident, why didn’t you reach out normally instead of . . . watching from afar?”
“I tried, at first. I visited you in the hospital, but you were still in and out of consciousness. By the time you were lucid, I . . . I didn’t know how to explain why I felt so connected to you. I was afraid you’d think I was crazy, or worse, that you’d reject me.”
“So instead of talking to me like a normal person, you decided that watching me from afar for two years was the better option?” she asks, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.
I wince at her words. “I know it sounds crazy. It was crazy. I just . . . I couldn’t get you out of my head. I know what it feels like to be alone. Really alone. Knowing you were going to have to feel that way, the same way I had, well . . . I couldn’t let that happen. The memory of that night, of pulling you from the wreckage . . . it haunted me. I told myself I was checking up on you, making sure you were okay. But it spiraled into something I couldn’t control.”