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staggered her, and she fell back against the wall when her knees began to wobble.  She hadn’t been aware he was still capable of hurting her like this.  Jack came face to face with her, keeping a careful distance.  As their eyes locked, it suddenly became so clear to her.
    “And you wonder why you haven’t seen me or heard from me in a year? This is why!  This is the only thing we know how to do.  We only know how to rip each other to shreds , and I’m done with that. I won’t do that to myself again. I won't do that to Ch…” Her words slowed to a stop.
    Jack’s wide eyes searched hers.  “Finish that.”
    “Fuck. You.”
    “Finish that sentence.”
    When he got too close, she shoved him with all her might, rearing back when he zeroed in on her again, placing his hands on the wall on either side of her head.
    “You won’t do that to Chase,” he breathed, feeling like the earth had shifted at his feet. Fury was rapidly replacing the sorrow in his eyes, making his nostrils flare.  “There.  I finished it for you.”
    Lila felt like she was suffocating.
    His voice lowered to a gentle whisper. “Have you had both of us yet, baby?” His gaze dropped to her mouth.  “Hmm?”
    “I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work.  This is about you, cheating on your fiancé.  This is about you, putting your dick inside me, knowing good and well that you’re going to be a married man in less than two months.  This is about you.”
    He smiled.  “All this time, and still lying to yourself. Can’t say I’m surprised. That is the only thing you know how to do, Lila.” When she didn’t respond, something inside of him exploded to life, and his voice finally rose. “I haven’t heard from you in a year. What the hell was I supposed to do?  Huh?  Sit around and wait for you for the rest of my fucking life, like some god damn love sick dog?”
    Lila was finally speechless.
    “A year, Lila. What the fuck did I do to deserve that from you?”
    “What did I do to deserve thisfrom you?” she cried, finally allowing the first tear to fall.  She was furious with herself for crying. “I hate you for this.”
    “I hate you more.”
    “I never want to see you again .”
    “Done.”
    “Good,” she breathed.
    “Yeah, good.” He pushed back from the wall and tugged the knot of his tie, craning his neck as he did.
    She hurried desperately away, jamming her eyes shut as he screamed after her.
    “Lila, you’re a fucking monster .”
    She sped up toward the door on the other end of the hallway, praying it would lead her outside.
    It did. She made her way to the parking garage in wobbling heels and looked over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t behind her.
    She was almost to her car when tears began to flow from her eyes with unstoppable vigor.  It started with a few small drops, but the floodgates quickly opened, engulfing her.  She broke into a sob just as she climbed inside her car, tearing out of the parking lot and heading for the nearest bar.
    She needed a drink.

4
     
    Present Day
     
    “So you went to a bar, got trashed outta your mind, then what?  Got pulled over?  Is there a DUI on your record that we need to get expunged?”
    “I would never be stupid enough to get a DUI, Chase, give me a little credit here.”
    “Give you a little credit?  Look at yourself.”
    Lila looked down at her tattered clothes and saw that her nipple was on the verge of coming out of her top to say hello.  She went to button herself up.
    “Point taken,” she mumbled.
    Chase watched as she straightened up.  He hadn’t missed the slight hint of her nipple, and he was thankful she’d gotten to work fastening that top.  The response his body always supplied her, no questions asked, was beyond powerful--nipple or no nipple, and now was no exception.  The urge to rip off that flimsy white top and take the brown nub between his teeth had conquered his mind. He wondered what it looked like when