Obsessed: Part 3

"You belong to me." He exhales loudly.

I shake my head violently from side-to-side. "You make me sick."

"She means nothing to me." He blocks my path. "You don't understand what you saw."

I close my eyes. I can't comprehend what he's saying. He thinks I'm that naïve. He thinks I'll believe him over what I saw with my own two eyes. "I know what I saw." I push on his chest with one hand.

"No, you don't," he hisses. "You didn't see it all."

"I saw more than enough." The shock that overtook me after hearing the conversation between Jax and Brooke is now rapidly being replaced by anger. "Get the hell out of my way. I'm done."

"Come with me now, Ivy." His hand is pulling on my forearm. "You're going to watch it. All of it."

I pull my hand back so violently that it slams against his chest. "Fuck you, Jax." I swing open his apartment door and pull my heavy suitcase through. "You're disgusting."

He falls to his knees in the doorway. "Don't do this." His voice is breaking. "You can't leave me."

"Watch me." I turn to step into the hallway.

"I love you," he whispers through sobs.

"How dare you?" I turn back around to glare at him. I follow the path of his eyes to my chest and my fingers settle on the necklace he gave me. The beautiful necklace I stare at in the mirror each morning as I brush my teeth and put on my makeup.

"I do." He reaches to wrap his arms around my legs.

I take a step into the hallway. "You're such a fucking liar," I scream the words at him. I twist my fingers around the pendant. I feel the cut of the delicate chain into the back of my neck, as the metal breaks free. "It's all been a lie." I launch the pendant and chain into the air before turning towards the stairs.

***

"I'm leaving New York." I trace my index finger along the inner seam of the jeans I'm wearing.

"You're going to have to explain that decision." Nathan motions towards me with a bottle of water. "Thirsty?"

I nod and sigh. "It's complicated."

"Does it have to do with your boyfriend?" His eyes dart up from his computer.

I pause before I answer. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"What are you calling him now? Your lover?" If he's attempting to hide the amusement in his voice, it's not working.

I clench my teeth together and let out a puff of air. "A self-absorbed, malicious, son of a bitch?"

"Ouch." He feigns grabbing his chest in mock distress. "That's harsh, especially for you, Ivy."

"He's an asshole." I unscrew the top of the bottle and take a heavy swallow. I know that if I'm going to get what I want I have to confide at least a little in Nathan. I'm hoping that I won't have to share all of the sordid and ugly details of Jax's underhanded plan t

o take over Mark's company.

He peers at me for a few moments before he speaks. "You didn't call this emergency meeting to tell me Jax is a prick, did you?"

I shake my head slowly from side-to-side. "The deal hasn't been finalized, has it?"

"All that's left is your signature on a few stacks of papers and you're home free." He picks up a manila folder that is stretched well beyond its limits with assorted documents.

"I want to see what Mark will offer for my shares." I say it calmly even though I can hear the constant pounding of my heart echoing in my ears.

His eyes jump from the papers he's hunting through to my face. "What do you mean you want to see what Mark will give you? Jax gave you everything asked for."