Instead, he had listened and had accepted me without even really understanding why I was the way I was. I’ll also never forget the words that helped soothe my heartbreak.
“I don’t condone violence towards women, Mystic. However, being a man, I can understand being so enraptured by a woman that you can lose your sense of self. I’ve never harmed a woman,” he had clarified. “But there have been times in my life, where I wanted a woman so badly, I thought about ditching the condom, even though I knew I shouldn’t. I know it doesn’t compare but, let’s just say, I don’thatethe guy, fully.”
We never spoke of my unhealthy relationship with Gage after that. Alaric just checked on me and made sure I was always in a good headspace. It’s been over eight years, but I haven’t spoken to my parents or sister in all that time. My parents had acted like Gage was a monster and Destiny had treated me like a girl too stupid and weak to see the signs of abuse.
Did I regret the rift with my family? No.
Did I regret leaving Gage? Every damn day.
I was already reaching for the doorknob when the second knock bounced off the door. When I swung the door open, shock paralyzed me when I saw Gage standing in all his six-foot-two masculine glory.
A furious-looking glory, but glorious, nonetheless.
“Gage?” Not saying a word, he muscled past me and walked into my apartment just as sweet as you please. I stood like a stuck mannequin with the door held open as I watched him take in my apartment.
My apartment wasn’t much, but it was enough. It was affordable and worked for me. The furniture was a mix of this and that, which I had been able to afford when I had gotten out of college and had started out at Marksman. And, over the years, I never bothered to upgrade. It wasn’t as if I entertained much.
As for the apartment, itself, it was a basic two-bedroom, one bath, living room and kitchenette that could be found all over Chicago. However, it was a safe neighborhood and had been within walking distance to Marksman had it been necessary to walk. I mostly took cabs, but I wasn’t allergic to walking. Granted, Cavanaugh Industries wasn’t within walking distance, but I wasn’t even sure if that mattered anymore. I wasn’t sure how much longer I was going to have my job. And, all, thanks to the raging male currently standing in my living room.
“Gage?” I repeated.
He turned to face me, and I cursed the Heavens for blessing this man with the face and body he had. The dark brown hair and startling blue eyes had always been a combination that rendered me stupid.
“Shut the door,” he commanded.
I snapped out of my haze, realizing that I did, indeed, still have the doorknob in my hand, holding the door wide open. The hairs on the back of neck warned me not to shut the door, but the rest of my body was begging me to. And I was officially super fucked in the head because I shut the door.
“What are you doing here?” Then a thought occurred to me. “How did you know where I lived?”
His eyes raked over my person and I knew he couldn’t be too impressed with what he saw. It was late evening on a Monday after a jacked-up day. It was safe to say, I wasn’t looking my best. Besides, my pajama pants and blue ribbed tank top was not meant to be seen by anyone other than Rowan.
When Gage’s blue gaze locked on my brown one, he ignored both my question and stalked towards me like a man possessed. My back was pressed against the front door as he leaned down and asked,“Why?”
My body began to tremble at the sheer nearness of him, but my heart started thumping a rough, painful tattoo in my chest at his question.
I knew what he was asking.
Ten years later, he was finally asking for an explanation. An explanation I would have gladly given him ten years ago had he not disappeared on me.
A part of me wanted to hold on to that anger and resentment, but if I had any chance of moving on from this destructive man, who had been a damaged boy, I needed to give my explanation just as badly as he needed to hear it.
Would he forgive me?
Would he laugh at me?
Would he still hate me?
It didn’t matter.
Nothing else matter, but this moment.
This fork in the road was going to send me going off into one direction or the other. One that had Gage in it or the other that didn’t.
He leaned in closer. “Why in the fuck did you leave me, Mystic?”
Chapter 26
Gage~
