Sweet Persuasion (Sweet #2)(81)

Serena went completely still. Her chest hurt as pressure increased.

“They just wanted to say thank you,” Carrie said in a choked voice. “They said Michelle’s last hours were so full of joy and wonder. The princess party you arranged was the highlight of her life.”

“Find out when funeral arrangements are being made,” Serena said. “Send flowers.”

Carrie stood there, her expression one of surprise. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

“Just do it, Carrie. And if that’s all, I’m really busy right now.”

Carrie spun around and stalked from Serena’s office, slamming the door behind her. For a long moment, Serena stared at the closed door. Then she dropped her head to her desk, burying her face in her arms.

Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as the tears came. She was fooling herself. What she gave her clients wasn’t real. It wasn’t even a substitute for real. She dealt in games and deception.

She could give a little girl the trappings of being a princess, but she couldn’t give her what mattered most. A long, healthy life with parents who loved her.

Damon was wrong. Dreamers did die. They died every single day.

Damon was sitting in his chair when Serena walked in the door that afternoon. He laid aside his laptop and looked up, prepared to call her over. His welcome died on his lips when he saw her pale, strained face.

She dropped her briefcase by the door and kicked off her shoes almost mechanically. Then she walked slowly toward him, her eyes thick with grief. She looked as though she’d been crying, but she was completely dry-eyed now.

He got to his feet and crossed the room to meet her. As soon he got close, a small cry erupted from her lips and she threw herself in his arms. He gathered her close and held her as sobs cracked from her lips, falling harshly on his ears.

He guided her to the couch, half carrying her and half assisting and then sat, pulling her down onto his lap. “Serena, tell me what’s wrong. Are you hurt? What happened?”

She buried her face in his neck and held him tightly, her fingers digging into his skin. Her sobs continued to spill out and so he simply held her, until finally she quieted and lay limply against his chest, her strength drained.

“Serena?”

She tensed and drew in a slight breath, and her body felt small and fragile against his. Dread tightened around his throat because he couldn’t help but know what she was going to say.

“I’m leaving, Damon,” she said in a hoarse, quiet voice. “I tore up the contract. The agreement is done. You’re free.”

He went still. The pain of her announcement shocked him with its ferocity when it shouldn’t have. He knew it was coming, and yet he felt each word like a serrated edge over his heart.

“Why?” he demanded.

She started to pull away, almost violent in her movements as she sought to free herself from his embrace. But he wouldn’t let her up. No, she would face him and give him the reason, damn it. He wouldn’t make it easy for her when this was the hardest thing he’d ever had to confront.

He gathered her wrists in his hands and held them close to his chest. “Why, Serena? You owe me that much.”

“I owe you no explanation,” she said in a cold voice. “Either party can terminate the contract at will.”

“I don’t give a damn about the f**king contract. This isn’t about a piece of goddamn paper, Serena. This is you and me and what we’ve shared, and I deserve to know why you’re throwing it away.”

“I can’t live a lie any longer,” she whispered. “It hurts. Everything I do is a lie. It’s not real. It can’t be real. I can’t give people what they truly want or need and you aren’t any different. I can’t give you what you need, Damon, so I’m letting you go.”

He stared at her as the garbled explanation fell from her lips. She pushed herself away from him again, and this time he let her go.

She turned to go but before she took a step, he said her name. She hesitated but didn’t turn around.

“I love you, Serena.”

This time she stopped. He could see her shoulders trembling, see her fingers ball into fists at her sides.

“Stay,” he said softly.

Slowly, she turned around, devastation written on her face. Her mouth tightened and her throat worked up and down as she swallowed.

“No,” she whispered.

And there it was. The one word she’d never said. The one word he’d told her would free her. His pain was stunning and fierce. The finality of it rolled over him until he could barely stand it.

Her hand flew to her mouth and she made a sound, a wounded, pained sound that an animal might make. And then she ran.

CHAPTER 33

Serena knew she was pushing herself too hard, she knew she was avoiding her friends, and she knew without a doubt that she didn’t have a prayer of ever getting over Damon.

She was a coward, a bitch, and she was heartbroken.

She hadn’t attended Michelle’s funeral. Carrie was livid and had called her heartless. Serena didn’t deny it. If she had any sort of a heart, she wouldn’t have strung Damon along making promises she couldn’t keep. Oh, she hadn’t overtly made any promises, but she’d bought into the whole fantasy. Lost herself in something that wasn’t real. She’d wanted it and wanted it badly.