I’d thought the next day would be better. I’d thought the hurt would pass and I would be able to think more clearly after I took some rest.

I was so wrong. The next day had come, and I felt worse than before.

Even though I’d been trying to fall asleep the whole night, tossing and turning in my bed again and again, I finally gave up and spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling and feeling more miserable.

At six in the morning I got out of my bed, dragged myself to my kitchen, and sat down on the chair, contemplating whether to drink coffee or not. I was exhausted and I needed something to give me energy badly, but I never drank coffee since I hated it.

I got up and choose to make some tea instead. Maybe it would calm my horrible nerves.

I couldn’t believe I fell for Oliver’s lies. When he appeared on my doorstep yesterday, I thought I was delusional. I didn’t expect him at all, especially since I’d been ignoring all his calls, and he’d called me a bunch of times.

How did he know where I lived?

I rolled my eyes. “You work for him, Alexandra,” I muttered sarcastically to myself. “He is the owner, and it’s not that difficult for him to find your address in the company’s files.”

I poured my tea in the cup and went to the living room.

I felt angry at myself, because the moment I saw him yesterday, looking all worried for me, I actually wanted to fall into his embrace. I wanted him to tell me I’d misunderstood everything and he never lied to me. Then I remembered he was a liar and a manipulator, and he would definitely feed me with more lies. There was no justification or other explanation—Oliver Talon had lied to me from the beginning and he didn’t feel even a flicker of warm emotions toward me. He’d just used me.

I started crying again. I didn’t remember when the last time I cried this was much. I’d cried the whole day yesterday, but apparently that wasn’t enough for my tear ducts. I was supposed to be stronger than this, but the truth was I didn’t know what to do now. This project was obviously a failure, so I had to think about something else...

I turned on my TV and switched the channels until I saw a familiar building on the screen. I increased the volume, realizing this was a news story about the hotel. There was the reporter who interviewed the guy I’d overheard at the hotel saying it would be torn down.

“Can you tell us more about the future of this building?” the reporter asked him.

“There is actually no future for it. It will be demolished soon.”

“Why would it be demolished?”

“It was certain from the start that this project was a failure. Its value is nothing compared to the price of purchase. It was only a matter of time when the owner would officially announce their decision to tear it down.”

“Thank you for your time today,” the reporter thanked him and turned to face the camera. “That would be all. As soon as we have more information about this case, we will report about it.”

I stared at the screen, feeling my heart beating so fast that it was making me sick. I turned it off, the sudden silence making me feel even emptier.

If there was any doubt that I’d heard or understood anything wrong, this was my proof that it was real. I was convinced now that it was going to be torn down, and there was nothing I could do. Such a perfect place would definitely be destroyed, and nobody even cared.

Oliver didn’t care.

He’d lied to me from the start, and now I didn’t know what to do.

Suddenly, my phone rang and I yelped in surprise. I looked at the screen. I felt a pang in my chest when I saw it was Oliver.

No. I wouldn’t answer. He was an asshole and he didn’t deserve even a minute of my time.

I waited for the ringing to stop and exhaled when it finally did. I felt my tears welling up in my eyes again, and just as I was about to burst into crying again, my phone rang once more.

“I can’t believe him!” It was Oliver again, and this time it rang for too long. No. I couldn’t answer him. He was calling me to spread more lies. He didn’t respect me or care about me. “No. I won’t answer you, so you can give up.”

The ringing stopped, and I still stared at the screen, a little disappointed that this was it. Even after everything, I missed him and I wanted to hear his voice.

I closed my eyes. I was really screwed. I knew he was bad, yet I wanted to see him again.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

I looked at my phone in surprise. He was calling me again?

Sighing heavily, I grabbed the phone and finally answered the call. To hell with everything! “What do you want, Oliver?”

“Alexandra, finally,” he sounded so relieved that I felt guilt rising from deep within me. No, this wasn’t good. I wasn’t supposed to feel like this about him. “Please, I need to talk to you. Now I understand what the problem is here, and I want to explain some things to you. That place is not going to be torn down. Those are lies. Please, I beg you, meet me at the hotel.”

I gnawed at my lip. My heart accelerated in anticipation, a feeling of hope spreading through me. He’d just said it wouldn’t be demolished, and I was so conflicted. I didn’t know if I could trust him. What if this was just another one of his manipulations?

“I don’t know, Oliver—”

“Please, angel. Just listen to me. I want to explain everything to you. Nothing else. If you still think you won’t be able to trust me in the end... Then I will understand that, but please, just give me one chance. Meet me at the hotel and let’s talk about this.”

He sounded so desperate and for a few moments I didn’t know what was right or wrong anymore. I couldn’t be sure about anything. If what he’d just said was right, then why did that contractor say those things?

A part of me—the one that wanted me to believe Oliver—was urging me to give him a chance. It was telling me that there was a possibility he wasn’t a liar. It was reminding me that I loved him.

Oh my God, I loved him, and if there was even a tiny possibility that he was speaking the truth...

I took a deep breath. “Okay, Oliver. I will meet you at the hotel.”