Chapter 2
I totally forgot about that call with the club owner.
Ever since I took over the company, my life’s been packed with work and dealing with people.
I hadn’t even seen Marcus in days.
So today I didn’t want to think about anything else-just wanted to chill with him.
But I never thought Amanda would come looking for me.
She was waiting by my car in the company parking lot, eyes all red and puffy.
Her skinny neck held straight, like a stubborn flower in the rain.
I finally got why everyone called her a doll.
She really was gorgeous.
I stopped in front of her and said flatly, “What’s up?”
Amanda just stared at me, couldn’t get a word out for the longest time.
Finally she asked me all tough, “You’re the one who made my boss move me to a different job?”
I opened my mouth, and I saw Amanda’s tears just started falling.
“Isabella, yeah, I’m broke. And yeah, I don’t have money like you do.
“But for my mom’s sake-she’s got mental issues-can’t you just leave me alone?”
I frowned. I had no clue what she was getting at.
“Sorry, but isn’t this like the first time we’ve met?”
Amanda laughed bitterly. “You rich people are so fake. Let me make this clear-I’d rather be on my knees serving people than take a single penny from you.”
She tilted her chin up.
“At least I’m making honest money.”
Then she just walked away.
I watched her walking away, then caught something out of the corner of my eye.
My husband was sitting in his car with zero expression on his face-he’d come to pick me up for my birthday.
He had a parking spot at my company, not far from where I was standing.
He’d probably heard every word Amanda said.
I took a couple steps toward him.
He looked away, face all cold and hard, then hit the gas and took off.
Left me standing there alone, my bag handle slippery with sweat, fingertips going numb.
Marcus and I grew up together, started dating when we turned eighteen.
But because of some stuff, I broke up with him.
That same night he stormed into my room and flat-out refused.
“It’s just two years, right? What, I can’t wait that long?”
I frowned. “At least two years, Marcus. I don’t want to hold you back.”
He hugged me tight, that teenage heat burning through my skin, making my cold heart go soft for a second.
I quickly pushed him away-scared he’d hear how hard my heart was pounding.
“Isabella, I’m not agreeing to this breakup.
“Whether you’re gone for two years, five years, or ten years.”
He took this deep breath and closed his eyes.
“Ill keep waiting for you. Always, always, always, waiting for you, and stay with you.”
Teenage promises always sound so damn sure when you’re young.
Right then, he forgot about all the crap that might happen.
Just wanted to promise me one thing he knew for sure.
He loved me.
That was the one thing he was certain about.
I caved and agreed not to break up.
After I went abroad, even with his crazy school schedule, he’d fly out to see me once a month.
Twenty-plus hours of flying just to spend two days with me.
Sometimes he couldn’t get direct flights, which made the whole trip even longer.
One time his flight got delayed and he was stuck in some airport for six hours.
He sent me a pic of himself crashed out on those awful metal chairs.
He was such a neat freak-wouldn’t let anyone touch his stuff except me.
Everyone joked around and called him Prince Marcus because of it.
But in that photo he had this huge grin, hair all messy, using his jacket as a pillow. Nothing like the stuck-up guy everyone thought he was.
I started crying the second I saw it.
thought, I’m gonna stick with this guy till the end.
No matter what it costs me.
ater he got into college, but time got tighter and tighter.
Went from once a month to every six months.
Eventually, I stopped seeing him at all.
[had to piece together what was going on with him from random bits other people would mention.
Five years later, I saw Marcus’s relationship announcement in my feed.
The background was some karaoke room with all these colorful lights flashing on their faces.
Marcus was sitting in the middle, leaning forward toward this girl in his arms.
She was sitting on his lap all cozy, wearing these tiny shorts that barely covered her ass.
Her pale legs were like spilled milk-total eye candy.
There were other people around them, everyone smiling.
Except for one guy in the corner with a stone cold face no trace of a smile.
He was the only person I still talked to sometimes,
Right after he posted the pic, he iMed me.
“Isabella, I think Marcus stopped walling.”
My chest felt like someone stabbed it-this sharp, thin pain shooting through my ears.
Like getting stung by a bee, couldn’t catch my breath.
Everything got loud and chaotic.
Footsteps, shouting, thunder crashing outside,
The last thing I saw before everything went black was the cake sitting in front of them.
Marcus will always love Amanda.]
Turns out his “always waiting” had a time limit.
