Lexi cringed away from Bekah’s words. No. This could not be happening to her. She had almost slept with Ramsey. He had been so eager to get with her when he could tell she was broken and in tears. Could this be all that it was? Had he only been seducing her hoping to fuck her and leave? “I may not know your brother very well…”

“At all,” Bekah interrupted.

“But I know that the way he was around me was not some kind of act.”

“Yes, I’m sure you can delude yourself into believing that, but that is the truth. That is the truth you have been looking for since you got here. Jack is mine,” Bekah told her taking a step forward. “He does not want you. Ramsey is my brother and he would do anything for me,” she said stepping forward until she was standing directly in front of Lexi. “He doesn’t want you either. Thanks for your help.” Bekah grabbed the door handle and yanked it open. “Please escort yourself off of Bridges property. You are no longer welcome here.”

“You’re kicking me out?” Lexi asked glancing out the hallway and then back at Bekah. “I believe we have more to discuss here you filthy whore.”

“No, I think my work here is done,” Bekah said smiling. “Gwen, if she doesn’t leave, call security.” And with that Bekah stalked right through the door and into her own office.

Gwen hopped off her chair, anxious to rush Lexi out of the office. Lexi’s mouth was hanging open still from Bekah’s monologue, and she was frozen in place. “Miss,” Gwen muttered angrily.

“Oh, right,” Lexi said closing her mouth and exiting Jack’s office. She took her time walking down the hallway and into the elevators. The steel metal enclosure took her to the bottom floor, and she strode across the marble tiled floor. Her phone dinged just before she reached the sliding doors. She sighed heavily and pulled back from the outside world. She fished her phone out of her purse and clicked on the new text message.

“Delivered your luggage to airport already. Meet me there, chica. Heart you,” read Chyna’s message.

Lexi smiled to herself, grateful for Chyna’s loyalty. It was so nice not to have to worry about at least one part of her life. Chyna had been a true friend throughout it all. She swore as soon as they made it back to New York she was going to treat her best friend to a wonderful dinner and lots of wine.

“You’re still here,” Lexi heard someone approach her.

She slowly turned to face the man who had dashed all her hopes and dreams of a real relationship into a million pieces. He had walked out on her again leaving her alone with that stupid diamond ring, except this time it was attached to someone else’s finger. This was the last person she had wanted to see…the last thing she had wanted to encounter before she left for New York. He had finally made up his mind about her. He had made his decision to be with Bekah, not her. There was no reason for her to ever speak to him, because God knows they could never be friends.

“Yes, I’m still here,” Lexi told him not able to keep herself from glaring.

“Can we talk?” he asked looking at least mildly apologetic.

“No,” she said turning from him and walking through the double doors. “Taxi please,” she told the attendant on duty.

“Come on, Lex,” Jack pleaded.

“Just don’t,” she said holding up her hand.

“Your cab, miss,” the attendant said as the yellow car pulled up in front of the colossal set of stairs.

“Thank you,” she said sliding into the seat as he opened the door for her.

“Lexi, you have to listen to me,” Jack said following her into the taxi.

“I’d rather not,” she said emotionless. She would be happier if she never saw Jack again, if she never had to hear his smooth voice or listen to his charming words. She would certainly be happier to go about the rest of her life knowing she had received the necessary closure she had so desperately been seeking while in Atlanta. “Get out of the cab,” Lexi demanded pointing her finger towards the door.

“Hartsfield-Jackson,” Jack said to the cab driver throwing a few twenties across the seat to keep him from opening his mouth.

Lexi glowered at him as the cabbie followed his instructions. “What the fuck is your problem? What are you even doing here? You have a fiancé inside. There is no need for this conversation. I got the gist of it with the diamond,” she growled.

Jack looked apologetically at the cab driver who was glancing backwards through the rearview mirror anxiously. “It’s not what you think, Lex.”

“First, don’t ever call me that again. I hate it,” she said crossing her arms over her chest. In fact, she had only ever liked it when Jack said it. The way it came out of his mouth made it sound so sexy. But that was the last thing she wanted now. “And second, waste your time with someone who wants to listen to you like your fiancé, or your secretary, or hell, even your apartment attendant. They all seem very interested in you.”

Jack colored slightly at the accusation, but, Lexi noted, he didn’t deny anything. “I know you probably never want to speak with me, but I can’t end it like this.”

“Oh, you can’t? Well, I don’t give a fuck. If you didn’t want it to end like this, then you wouldn’t have fucked me in the hallway at Turner Field less than twelve hours before proposing to someone else,” she said not caring that the cab driver or anyone else was listening.

“I know,” he said nodding his head.

“I don’t think you do or you would have taken the slap in the face to mean stay the fuck away from me like it was meant.”

“I told you I can’t leave it like this. I was blinded by my jealousy over you and Ramsey. I couldn’t even believe you when you said nothing was going on. We said we’d never lie, but neither of us trusts the other.”

Lexi kept that fact that he had been lying to her all along to herself. He would disagree with the statement and there was no need for him to try and convince her otherwise. He was right. She would never believe him. He wouldn’t have chosen Bekah over her in the end, if he had really wanted to be with her. He would have cut his loose ends. He would have tried to make it work. He would have loved her the way she deserved to be loved. No, he had lied all along and she could never trust his word again. It had been broken once before, when they had first begun, and she had been stupid to believe in him to this day.

“You don’t trust me, right?” he asked mournfully.

“Stupid question,” she quipped.

“Right. Well, I guess you have no reason to.”

“Yep,” she said popping the final sound and staring out across the city.

“I really couldn’t help it though.”

“Oh, this should be good,” she said sarcastically. “You’re going to tell me how you couldn’t help but propose. Wonderful!”

“No, I was going to propose. Can you just look at me, please, Lex?” he pleaded.

She turned and glared at him. “Do not call me that. Why did you string me along if you knew you planned on proposing?” she asked.

“Well, I knew before you got here that’s what I was planning to do, but then you showed up and I couldn’t think about doing that.”

“Then why the hell did you drag me down here? I was supposed to be here to convince Bekah you were ready to commit to her. You told me you wanted her off your back and that you had no intention of doing it. If you really were ready to commit, then why didn’t you just fucking tell her that and leave me out of it?”

“Because she found the ring,” he cried throwing his hands up in the air in defeat.

“I might hit you again if we continue talking about this,” she threatened.

“She found your ring,” he said more calmly.

“Yes, I fucking realize that moron. The ring that is now currently on her finger. The ring that was meant for my finger,” she said waving her left hand around in the air. “Is nothing sacred, Jack? Go ahead. Please try to explain to me how her finding my ring has anything to do with me being down here.”