Bartered (The Encounter #1)(53)

Money? His secretary? What was I, a charity case?

“B-b-but…” I stuttered, thoughts disarray from his immediate decision of cutting ties with me. “After all this—what we shared—you don’t even want to stay in touch, do you?” The realization hit me to the core. That’s why his secretary’s number was attached to begin with. He had thought this out while he held me every night. He had been slowly letting me go without me knowing it. It was cruel. He should’ve said something at least. “Why?” I asked, not sure what I was truly asking him.

“You were forced into this. Now, you’re free.” He shrugged, still not willing to spin around and face me. He seemed content in staring at the world below his feet while I simply gazed at his back and his beautiful, handsome reflection in the glass. “Why question any of this? You’re free to go, Isobel. Why are you even here, spouting off questions when you should’ve run out of here, packed the rest of your things in the villa, and caught the first flight out of here?”

He was right; I should’ve done those things. And maybe I would’ve had I known he was setting me free so soon. However, since I’d had no clue when I woke up today, thinking that maybe we could compromise on his needs once more, I was, of course, left reeling, left with a lot of questions I wasn’t ready to face yet.

“You said you wanted me,” I wondered out loud as I tried to patch everything together in my slowly registering brain.

“Everything’s changed.”

Na?ve I might be, but I definitely wasn’t daft. Of course everything had changed. But there was a part of me that wanted to hope that maybe he’d forgive me for my indiscretion and for maybe hurting his pride and male ego.

“How about if we stay in touch?” My light suggestion went unanswered; as a result, I pressed on with the caveat, “As friends?”

He snorted, finding my idea a bit absurd for his standards. “I don’t think that’s possible. I choose my friends wisely, and since trust and loyalty isn’t really your strongest suit, I’ll pass.”

His words stung. They went straight to my heart. I hadn’t been aware his opinion about me actually mattered that much, but hearing him say it out loud made me feel unbelievably tiny. I’d let him down badly, and there was no way in hell he would ever consider me for anything, not even as a friend. Ouch.

“Hugo.” Tears started to form in my eyes. “You can’t just let me leave like this. We need to talk… please.”

“You’re wasting precious time, Isobel. Besides, this is a working day for me; I don’t have time to spare.”

He was shutting me down, and I wasn’t ready to go yet. My stubbornness kicked in, needing him to give me a little time.

Wiping my tears away, my soft sobs didn’t do anything for him. Hugo remained distant, still staring at the view below him. “Why do I feel like this is goodbye?”

“Because it is,” he confirmed with ease.

He’d had seven days to come to terms with any of this, yet I’d barely had an hour and he simply wanted me to hop on and pretend as if he and I hadn’t shared anything—no intimacy… nothing. His callousness wasn’t a side I was accustomed to. Being in the forefront of his brashness was quite a painful thing to adhere.

“So that’s it? You got bored with me and now you’re ready to have Sherry and Chantel or whomever you fancy take my place?”

He remained silent.

His detachment shook me mad. “Answer me, damn you!” I screeched at him, wanting him to feel this hollow pain that was eating me alive.

After a full second, he finally spun around to face me, bearing his usual mercurial self. Truly unreadable. “I have to go. My plane’s waiting,” he simply informed me like I hadn’t just screamed at him. He was the epitome of calmness, while I was a raging inferno.

“I’m not ready to say goodbye,” I threw at him, meaning every single word of it. “I feel like there’s more to say. Don’t leave like this. Please.”

“All you’ve ever wanted is your freedom to go back home, to your friends.” His eyes focused on me with a look of indifference, or was that disgust? I wasn’t so sure which one. “You’re free from any contractual obligations,” he pointed out once more, highlighting my freedom. “What more do you want, Isobel?”

“I want more time,” I said without thought. “I know I’ve been distant and temperamental. It’s because of Damen—” I tried to reason with him, maybe show him a little of how much torment I’d been putting myself through to make him understand, but he wasn’t having any of it.

“That’s enough, Isobel.”

Shaking my head, I was adamant to stay. “But I’m not ready to go—”

“Isobel…”

“Please, I’m begging you.”

“No. This is it, Isobel.” He stared into me, making me feel as if he’d reached into my heart with his bare hand and squeezed it until it no longer functioned. “This is goodbye.”

With my tears, pleas, and heartache, I put a piece of myself out on display. “If I wasn’t in love with him, I could’ve given you what you wanted the most, but I can’t betray my heart. I hope you can see that. I’ve already caused enough damage that I’m not sure I can repair,” I sobbed. “Please forgive me. I wish I had given you a chance.”