“Tell me more, Paige.”

“Gladly. A man like you only wants everyone to cower in his wake. You’re the only person allowed to have expectations of other people. We’re just little pawns in your game of life, aren’t we?”

“Is that how you’ve felt today, Paige? Like a pawn?”

“Don’t act like you care. And no, I’m not feeling like a pawn. Not today.”

He exhaled. His serious gaze probed me, most likely seeking to understand why I was in such a snit. Oblivious because I wasn’t playing nice. Fucker. He wasn’t going to get under my skin anymore.

“I don’t think you’re getting the point of this conversation,” he finally said softly.

Unbelievable!

“No, Gavin. You’re the one who’s not getting it. I didn’t come to Axis 3 to be your doormat and I definitely didn’t come to work today to take advantage of your goodwill.”

Gavin made a sound in his throat somewhere between a growl and a purr. “You’re pushing me away. Why?”

“I’m pushing you away? You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re the one pushing me away. On purpose!”

Fury kept pumping through me like venom.

“I get it now about you. We got too close last night and instead of dealing with it like a grownup, you’re using it to push me away from you. Is that what you want? Fine. I’ve got no problem with that.”

He cocked his head. A look of compassion swept over his perfect features.

“Paige. Come here.”

“No.”

“Please.”

I held out my hand in warning and took a step back. I didn’t trust myself not to take this as a benediction from a beloved god. I’d seen the ugly truth and I wasn’t going to fall under his spell again.

Gavin had proven to me he wasn’t the idol of my youth. Worse, he’d shown himself to be no different than everyone else. He didn’t care about me at all. He only cared about the reflection of himself through me.

I may have been messed up, but I was sane enough to know I needed a relationship with Gavin like I needed a hole in the head.

And yet seeing him standing there with such a sweet look in his eyes, a look solely for me…

No.

It wasn’t the truth. It was a lie. It was manipulation designed to get me to bend to him. To do what he wanted.

But what if it’s not?

Too many emotions were flooding through me. I hated losing my temper, and rarely did, but I guess I just had too much of my father’s volatility in me. Unfortunately, I suspected I also carried too much of my mother’s gullibility when it came to believing the best in people.

How else to explain her being duped by Patrick into carrying me and then giving up all parental rights with the promise of being able to see me anytime she wanted? A promise that ended up not being worth the breath used to deny it.

No wonder I was constantly being pulled in opposing directions.

I was the spawn of a devil and a gullible…saint? No, not saint. I was sold for a house. Whatever Aricela was she damned sure wasn’t a saint.

Who the fuck gives up her baby for payment? And why the hell did Patrick keep me all those years when it’s clear he doesn’t give a damn about me?

Say what I would about my father, at least he didn’t give me false hope. I knew exactly where I stood in his esteem. It saved us both years of wasted time.

“Please, Paige. Take my hand.”

My mind splintered into jagged pieces of rage, sorrow, and pain. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to go away. Anywhere.

I took a step back. I had to get out of this place. I didn’t want to fall apart.

“Paige! Don’t go. Please.”

I froze, unable to ignore the tiny pleading note in his voice.

“Why do you even care?”

There. That was ugly enough to make him go back to being mean and hateful.

Gavin’s face turned downwards. His mouth opened and then closed. He looked up at me, gaze burning gold with intensity, and said, “I just care.”

Three words. Three words that had the power to change everything.

Standing here, I wanted to believe Gavin had realized the error of his ways. I wanted to believe he cared about me. I wanted to believe he was sorry.

I refused to bend. Rage and disappointment were safer. Because what would happen to me if I believed him only to find out later it was a lie?

I wouldn’t be able to take it. I’d fall apart right here and how would I put myself back together?

Gavin seemed undeterred by my stance.

“I’ve seen you, Paige. The real you. I know this isn’t you. So let’s talk.”

It was another lie. He didn’t really mean it.

When are you going to get it? People don’t care about anyone but themselves! Gavin is no different.

It hurt. Badly.

And how could I really blame him when I was no different? My being here at Axis 3 proved I only cared about myself. I judged people for their sins when mine were just as bad if not worse.

“We don’t have anything to talk about.”

“Yes, we do.” He advanced on me. “We obviously had a severe issue of miscommunication. I want to hash this out and make it right.”

Make it right? Impossible. There’s no way to fix this. Not when I came in here on a goddamned lie!

The truth had a way of being the pinprick to let out all my hostility. Or at least it did until I revved up my rage again. As I got tossed in the waves of my destruction, I distantly understood why I welcomed these baser emotions.

Anything less than fury would make me think I had a place here with Gavin. I’d already spun the sugar lies, justifying and rationalizing how I could make a relationship with Gavin Hawthorne work.

Hating him long enough to finish this was the only way I knew how to really show Gavin I cared.

Like father, like daughter.

“You want to make everything right?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.”

I stood my ground and said the two words to bring this farce to an end.

“I quit.”