Fat Cat Liar

“I know she’s here. Let me in.”

“I can’t do that. You need to go. She doesn’t want to see you.”

“You can’t keep her from me.”

“This is her decision. She asked that you leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere until I talk to her.”

“Please, don’t do this to her, Lawson. She’s trying her best to keep it together.”

Right as the words leave Haley’s mouth, there’s a small cry followed by a louder sob. Something inside me breaks, and I slam the door open, barging in. She’s slouched over her desk, her face buried in her shaking hands.

I practically throw myself on her, embracing her tightly against me and dropping my head to her shoulder.

“Baby, I love you. God, I love you.”

She cries harder, uselessly trying to push me away. “Go away.” Her words come out brittle and broken.

“I can’t.”

“If you love me, you’ll leave me alone.”

“I can’t,” I repeat. “You’re my life.”

“You destroyed me, Lawson.”

“I’ll never forgive myself for what I did, but I have a lifetime to prove to you how much I love you.”

“You have to stop doing this to me. The calls, the texts, showing up—all of it has to stop.”

“Never going to happen.”

She wiggles free enough to raise her face to mine. The torment in her eyes slices me wide open. We stare at each other silently, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I have to move on with my life, Lawson, without you.”

A pain sears through my side, momentarily blinding me. Black spots cloud my vision as I refuse to listen to her.

“I—”

“You have about three seconds to let her go and get your ass out of here.” A deep voice booms behind us.

I spin, still holding Greer, and come face to face with a monster of a man. I don’t have to guess he’s a security guard by the way he’s glaring at me with hatred and protection for Greer.

“I’m not going anywhere.” I straighten a little taller and return his glare.

“Let go of her.” He clenches his fists.

The sheer magnitude of this man’s size tells me he’ll pummel me, but a sense of fearlessness takes over.

“Mind your own business.”

“Lawson, don’t test him.” Greer’s voice is soft, and she stops pushing me away. “Just leave before this gets out of hand.”

I glance down to see her still shiny eyes now laced with concern, pleading with me. Her hand slides between us, up my chest, neck, and jawline, coming to rest on my cheek. She scrapes her fingernails lightly through the thickness of my beard. I nuzzle into her touch, my blood pumping harder through my veins. Her face morphs into the most agonizing expression I’ve ever seen in my life.

Tortured.