“Miles! Language!” she says.

I will away the impending tears. “I don’t fucking give a shit anymore. See that girl sitting in that chair? She is a fucking liar. I protected her, as I always have. You know why? Because I love her. I fucking love her, goddammit. I have ever since I met her. And you know what? I still do, which is why it fucking hurts here.” I punch my own chest. “She’s not as innocent as she looks.” I point at her and laugh when I see her miserable face look up at me. Her eyes beg me to quit. “How do I know?” I say, shaking my head. “Because that bitch had sex with me in my car, and now she’s running around with Mister trade-her-in-like-a-whore.”

Vanessa’s eyes begin to water, her resolve breaking while mine is only growing.

“Miles! Enough!” the principal yells. She picks up the phone and dials some number. “I need assistance in my office right now.”

A few seconds later, a bulky man steps in. “Yeah?”

“Escort Miles out of the building, please,” the principal sneers. “I don’t want him anywhere near this facility ever again.”

The big guy steps toward me and attempts to grapple me. Fucking hell. I put up a fight, pushing and shoving, but I’m no match for his strength. At least, not yet. Not until I build some muscle, which is exactly what I’m planning to do now that I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that my brain or my heart won’t be any help to me.

They’ll have to fucking drag me from this building before they’re rid of me. Even as the man hauls me through the hallway, I’m relentless in my pursuit of justice.

“Vanessa! You fucking liar!” I scream. “I fucking protected you and now you betray me! Was my fucking love not good enough for you, huh? Fucking bitch!” I kick over a bin while I’m being dragged through the hall. I don’t give a shit that I’m making a scene; I want everyone to know what a piece of shit she really is. Now that she’s exposed her true colors, I won’t let her walk through this building without feeling the same.

If I can’t take her heart, I’ll take her dignity instead.

I know she can hear it.

“Didn’t I spoil you enough, huh? Does he give your pussy more attention than me?” All the people in the hallway are staring at me, but I don’t give a shit. “Was one cock not enough for you?”

The door to the principal’s office opens and out comes the principal together with Vanessa. Phillip is nowhere to be seen. Of course, not; why would he be there for her? He never has.

I have. Look how that turned out.

“When will it be enough, Vanessa? How many dicks do you have to ride? How many hearts will you stomp on?”

“Shut up!” she yells, her cheeks red with embarrassment. She probably thought she could get away with this without feeling something. Well, that’s just too darn fucking bad.

“Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Shut the hell up!” she yells. “You’ve hurt me enough!”

“Oh, I’ve hurt you enough? You’re such a fucking joke. I hope you’re happy with yourself, Vanessa. Have a good fucking life,” I shout. Then the big guy drags me out the door and throws me on the curb.

“Didn’t you hear the lady? Shut your trap and get out of here,” the guy says, making a face. “Think you’re a badass, embarrassing a girl like that?”

“It’s called laying the truth out on the floor.”

“I don’t believe a fucking word of what you say. Good-bye.” He turns around and walks back to the door.

“Why don’t you go ask her and find out,” I muse. “She likes riding dick, so if you ask nicely, she’ll probably give you some, too. She has a thing for sad chumps like yourself.”

He stops for a second, and I think he might turn around and attack me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he shakes his head and just keeps walking through the door, slamming it shut behind him. I guess he was able to resist temptation, even though I was not.

And now I’m lying here on the asphalt, with people inside staring at me with a memorable, well-known filthy look. I am the dirt on the ground they step on and wipe off their boots.

There and then, I decide that I will never be ridiculed like that ever again.

The only thing that bound me to this earth, what kept me human, what kept me from all the horrible thoughts spinning through my head, was her.

She.

The woman who first betrayed me.

Nothing stops me from becoming whatever I want now. Nothing.

I will become the man they’ll fear. The man who knows everyone, but no one knows him. I’ll become a stronger and better version of myself. I’ll become invisible. And when I’m ready, I’ll show my new self to the world again.

They will tremble in awe of my transformation.

And then I’ll kill them all.

CHAPTER 24

PHOENIX

She says she loved me, but I remember differently.

That day was when I knew she’d made her choice.

And it was the same day that I’d made mine.

“You don’t get to talk about love,” I spit. “Not after what you did.”

“I know what I did, but I did it for a reason, and it was a good one.”

“I don’t give a fuck about your reasons. If you loved me so much, you would’ve done anything to be with me, and I mean fucking anything.”

“You don’t understand; my mother wouldn’t let me,” she says.

Fuck her mother. Fuck everything. I part my lips to tell her exactly how I feel, but I don’t have time. The doorbell rings, and both our heads turn toward the door.

I’m not expecting any company, and from the looks of it, neither is Vanessa.

So why is someone ringing the doorbell? And more importantly … how the fuck did they get past the closed gate?

“Phoenix, you in there?”

My eyes widen.

Shit. I recognize that voice.

It’s DeLuca.

“Fuck.”

***

VANESSA

Phoenix immediately puts his pants back on, hauls me off the table, and pulls me through the hallway. I don’t even get the time to put on some clothes. “Wait! I’m still naked,” I say.

“No time,” he growls, pulling me upstairs.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

Phoenix doesn’t respond, but he keeps dragging me up the stairs like he’s possessed.

The banging on the door continues, and it draws my attention. Who could it be? Is someone coming to rescue me? No, they were calling his name, so that can’t be it.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Phoenix drags me to the attic. “Nothing. Stay here and keep your mouth shut,” he says, pointing at the floor. “I’m gonna be downstairs, and I’ll see if you try to escape, so don’t even try. Don’t fucking move or make a noise, or shit’s gonna hit the fan. You got it?”

I nod, silently sitting down on a chair in the corner. He glares at me one more time before turning around and closing the door behind him.

I listen to the sounds; him running down the stairs, the man banging on the door calling out his name, and I wonder … if the time has come for the game to change.

***

PHOENIX

“Phoenix?” he yells, banging on the door. “I know you’re in there. Open up!”

Taking a deep breath, I pace around the hallway, pondering whether I should open the door or not. I don’t know how he tracked me back here. Then again, all it takes is a few clicks to know where she lives. She’s a fucking celebrity, so of course it’s easy to find out where she lives. But I didn’t actually think he’d come chasing after me.

Goddammit. What the fuck is he doing here anyway?

“Let me in.” He jerks the door handle.

“All right, all right!” I yell, walking toward the door. “I’m coming.”

This is it. No turning back now. He knows I’m here, and now that I’ve spoken up, the chance to hide and sit this one out is gone.

I just fucking hope Vanessa can keep her mouth shut while he’s here or else shit’s really going to hit the fan. And neither of them is going to like what I’ll do.

When I open the door, he bursts inside. “Fuck, what took you so long?”