Book 2 Chapter 27
He'd been trying to reach her? What could he possibly want to reach her for after everything? And she hadn't blocked him or anything so there was no way he couldn't have reached her if he had indeed tried.
Her jaw tightened and she felt like snapping at him but she forced her voice to remain calm and controlled.
“What do you want, Jaxon?" She asked, she didn't have time for this, she didn't have time to engage him in worthless conversations.
“I’m in New York for a bit,” he replied easily. “Thought we could get drinks or something. Catch up.”
Catch up.....
Her blood boiled so fast she felt light-headed. He wanted to catch up after everything? After he'd literally tried to rape her, after he'd acted like he hadn't known she'd married Alexander or that Alexander had passed away?
He couldn't even start by extending his condolences, rather, he were wanted to get drinks and catch up.
Heat rushed up her neck and ears, the anger scorched through her like a flame.
“You want to get drinks?” she repeated slowly, disbelief dripping from every word.
“Yeah,” he said. “I arrived yesterday.”
His audacity almost choked her at this point.
Ioannis could feel the the rage in her body; his fingers tightened on her thigh again to calm her. He didn’t interrupt but she knew he was with her.
She dragged in deep, shuddering breath. “Jaxon… did you hear about my wedding? To Alexander?”
There was a pause on the line. Then Jaxon answered with a flippant tone that made her wish she could slap off his face, even through the phone.
“Yeah, of course I heard. Everyone heard.” he replied. "You guys finally decided to stop fucking around."
“Did you hear,” she continued, her voice shaking now, “that he passed away?”
There was a brief silence, but she could tell he was still there, perhaps he was thinking of more shit to say.
“Yeah,” Jaxon replied. “Like I said, I tried to reach you, but I couldn’t get through.”
The lie was so casual she felt something inside her snap. She'd had enough of this, she'd had enough of him. Her chest rose and fell heavily, it felt like she was bottling up everything right there in her chest. She felt Ioannis shift slightly, like he was preparing to step in.
“Jaxon,” she said, her voice trembled with a mix of rage and exhaustion, “you didn’t try to reach me. Not once. Drop the bullshit.” Her voice cracked, and she pressed her nails into her palm to ground herself. “Don’t lie.”
The call was loud enough that Ioannis heard every word. And he seemed just as irritated as she was, just as upset, just as insulted.
Jaxon exhaled dramatically. “Look, Yalda, I’m just trying to reconnect. No need to be so… defensive.”
“Defensive?” Her voice rose before she could stop it. “Fuck you.”
“You know, I have a right to be mad as well,” he shot back. “You fucking played me. You should have told me Alexander owned you, he has you on a leash."
His words punched right through her ribs.
She felt the beginnings of tears burning behind her eyes, it was humiliating, especially because Ioannis was listening. But instead of judging, his hand left her thigh and wrapped gently around the back of her neck, steadying her by massaging gently.
“Jaxon,” she said slowly, she forced herself to breathe, “I don’t want to get drinks with you, I don’t want to talk to you, and I don’t want you calling me again.”
“Oh, come on,” he scoffed. “You can’t seriously still be living under Alexander’s shadow. He's gone, Yalda. He still has you on a leash from the grave?”
More tears gathered instantly, they burnt her eyes sharply, they had her throat tightening till it was impossible to swallow. That sentence ripped something inside her open, but it wasn't just her, Ioannis’s entire body went still.
Yalda tried to breathe, but her chest tightened painfully. For a second, she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t think. She couldn't even stop the tears from streaking down her cheeks.
She opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but nothing came out.
Ioannis reached out and gently took the phone from her hand She didn't argue as he lifted it to his ear. His voice dropped to a calm, lethal tone she'd never heard before.
“Don’t call her again.” he said.
There was a pause, then Jaxon replied, his tone was also more serious,
"And who the fuck are you?”
“Ioannis Andreas,” he said simply.
Jaxon seemed to think it through for a moment before he responded.
"Why do you have her phone?"
“You heard me.” Ioannis’s tone didn’t change. “Yalda is with me in Greece.”
Yalda’s blinked and more tears went streaming down her cheeks.
Ioannis continued. “If you have business with her, you can come find her.”
It was a dare, and it was so clear.
A charged silence followed.
Ioannis didn't wait around to hear what he had to say, he lowered the phone and hung up. He reached for Yalda.
She was trembling, her muscles were taut with anger, hurt, and the lingering sting of humiliation. Ioannis pulled her gently toward him until she leaned into his chest completely. He wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.
“Dont let him get to you,” he murmured against her hair. “You've come so far and you're doing just fine.”
But she wasn’t soothed, not yet.
Her hands shook in her lap, her nails were digging into her palms. She felt violated, emotionally and mentally by someone who had no right to her, no right to speak his dead friend’s name like that, who had no right to make her feel small.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, though she didn’t know why she was apologizing.
“For what?” Ioannis asked, pulling back enough to look at her.
“I don't know.” Her voice cracked again. “For everything.”
She come into his life and she'd brought her baggage with her. It was embarrassing at this point.
“Shhh,” Ioannis said quietly, brushing a tear that had slipped down her cheek. “You don't ever have to apologize for anything.”
Her throat tightened painfully but she nodded once.
The rest of the drive was quiet. Ioannis stayed close without crowding her, touching her only when she needed grounding. His presence filled the space and made her feel less alone.
When they arrived at the villa, she stepped out of the car slowly, the exhaustion of the day had dawned in heavily and she didn't even have the energy to stand for long. The house lights glowed warmly but she felt cold.
“Should we have dinner first or shower?” Ioannis asked her on getting inside.
She shook her head.
“I don’t have an appetite.” she replied earlier.
Ioannis didn’t argue. He knew when to simply let her be.
“Go to bed then." he said gently. “You can always eat and shower later.”
She nodded again, grateful for his understanding, and made her way to the bedroom.
She changed into a soft, oversized shirt and slipped into bed tiredly. The sheets felt too cool and too empty. She lay on her side, staring into the darkness. Jaxon’s words echoed painfully.
'He still has you on a leash from the grave....'
A tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it quickly, but another followed.
She turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, willing the ache to fade but it stayed. Laying here, she couldn't help how her chest constricted painfully, she couldn't help how much she missed Alexander.
It wasn't the marriage she missed, and it wasn't the pain either, no, she just missed him.
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