“We’ll never know,” she responds as she removes her hands from mine and stands. “But I need to go now, Davis.”
“Don’t. Please don’t. I’m begging you, Olivia. Don’t do this to us.”
“You’ll be okay,” she assures me as she pushes in her chair. “You’ve been through worse.”
I push both of my hands through my hair, grasping at internal straws to get her to stay. I follow her out to the living room, feeling like a frantic puppy dog, but nothing comes to me. I’m all out of plans and ideas this time.
“Before I go,” she says, “I wanted to give you some unsolicited advice about little brothers.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about Kieran,” I remind her. “In fact, I think I’d like to sell his data to a foreign entity and watch them whittle down his credit one digit at a time.”
“I know. And that’s why you need to hear me say that I don’t think Kieran wants an enemy. I think he wants someone to love him. Somehow, he thought that buying me for you eight years ago would make you love him. Now, he credits me for you hating him.” She raises a shoulder. “I don’t fully blame him. Being loved by you is wonderful, Davis.”
Wordlessly, I take in her expression. Her soft skin. Her auburn hair and the way it contrasts with her eyes. She’s uncharacteristically subdued when I study her. She knows that I love her, and yet she’s still leaving.
“I have to go,” she says, clearly forcing herself to nod. “If you want the money back—”
“Hell no. It’s yours. I know you probably spend it on Charlie anyway, so keep it. He deserves it more than any Ridgeway ever did.”
To my relief, Olivia nods again. “Thank you.”
She turns and opens the door, and despite every urge in me to beg her to say, I watch her go.
This time when she’s leaves I’m not angry.
Just empty.
Just fucking empty.