Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Archer doesn’t say anything for a moment, just stares at the necklace, his jaw tight. Then he looks at me, his blue eyes sharp, but there’s something else there too. Something vulnerable. “Do you want it?”
I blink, confused. “What?”
“Do you want it?” he repeats, his voice steady, but there’s an edge to it, like he’s bracing for something he doesn’t want to hear.
The question feels loaded, like it’s about more than just the necklace. It’s about everything. About him, about the city, about the life I left behind and the one I’m trying to build here.
I shake my head, my throat tightening. “No. I don’t want it. I don’t want the job back and I don’t want to be around him.”
Archer’s eyes search mine, like he’s trying to decide if he believes me. “Then why haven’t you thrown it out?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I should’ve tossed it out the second I saw it. So why didn’t I?
“I don’t know,” I admit quietly, and it feels like defeat. “It’s complicated.”
“Is it?” he asks, his voice tinged with frustration now, simmering just beneath the surface. “Seems pretty simple to me.”
I flinch, but he’s not wrong. It should be simple. But nothing about this feels simple. I’m caught between two worlds—my old life, where everything made sense even though it suffocated me, and this new life, where everything is raw, real, and terrifying.
Archer steps closer, his eyes locked on mine. “Bella, if you want to go back to him, if you want that life, just say it. I won’t stop you.”
His words hit like a punch, and for a second, I can’t breathe. “I don’t—” I start, but he cuts me off.
“Because I can’t compete with that,” he says, his voice low, thick with something I haven’t heard from him before. Insecurity. “I’m not going to fight for you if you’re still half in that world.”
His words sink deep, and suddenly, the necklace on the counter feels like a noose around my neck. I’ve been so caught up in my own fears, my own doubts, I didn’t stop to think about how this must look to him. To Archer, who’s been nothing but open with me, who’s given me everything, and I’ve given him nothing but half of myself.
“Archer, it’s not like that,” I try, stepping toward him, but he steps back, his eyes narrowing.
“Then what is it, Bella? Because I’m standing right here, but it feels like you’re still somewhere else.”
The frustration in his voice cuts deep, and I hate that he’s right. I’ve been holding back, letting the pull of my past keep me from fully stepping into this new life. Into us.
“I’m scared,” I admit, the words raw and painful, but I need to say them. “I’m scared I’m not cut out for this. That I’m going to screw it all up.”
Archer’s expression softens just a little, but the tension is still there. “You’re not going to screw it up,” he says, his voice quieter now, but no less intense. “But you need to make a choice, Bella. Because I can’t be in this if you’re not all in.”
The silence between us is thick, heavy with everything we’re not saying. My eyes drift back to the necklace on the counter, and for a moment, it feels like everything. My past, my doubts, my fear. The life I left behind but haven’t fully let go of.
I take a deep breath and reach for the necklace, my fingers curling around it. It’s cold, hard, and as heavy as it looks. For a second, I just hold it, feeling the weight of it, the weight of everything. Then, without another thought, I toss it in the trash.
Archer watches me, his expression unreadable, but I can see the tension start to ease from his shoulders. “You sure about that?”
I meet his gaze, and for the first time in a long time, I feel certain. “Yeah. I’m sure. Fuck him.” I blink away painful memories of my time managing the luxury hotel in the city–the sexual advances from David that I had to dodge nearly every day. Evading his gaze, avoiding being in the same room alone with him…it was all above and beyond my comfort level but I did it because the money was good and the benefits better. It’s the not first time David has given me jewelry, he claimed to do it for all the people he worked closely with, he was always generous with holiday bonuses and work trips–and I always took the expensive jewelry immediately to the pawn shop and exchanged it for cash. At first I thought David was a great boss, but with time I realized accepting the jewelry came with a price. A price that I wasn’t willing to pay.
Archer steps forward, his hand sliding around my waist, pulling me closer. “I’m glad you threw it away, sweetheart,” he says, his voice low and rough, but there’s something soft in it too. “Because I’m not letting you go that easily.”