Chapter Fifty-Six

Roman

She’s destroyed me. I thought she had before, but I had no idea. As I’m left sitting here with Ana resting against my chest and the final aftershocks of my orgasm finishing, I know now. She’s destroyed me. The cries of her telling me she loved me are still echoing in my ears. What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? I give myself a couple moments before I pull her off of me. I can’t breathe. I need to distance myself from this. From her. She stands, almost falling. I stand up, zipping up my pants and needing to get away. Needing to get away from her body… Fuck, I’m choking on the scent of her.

“Roman?”

I can’t look back at her. I can’t. “I can’t do this, Ana. I’m not giving you an opportunity to betray me again. I’m not a man who does love. That doesn’t exist. The only instinct that matters is survival,” I tell her when I reach the door, my back to her.

“Let me in, Roman. I promise you I’ll make sure you never regret it. Please, don’t shut me out.”

My hand trembles with the need to give in. She’ll never know how much I want to do exactly that.

“Goodbye, Ana.”

“Goodbye, Roman,” she says, her voice hoarse with tears. I hear them and I feel like a bastard for being the cause of them. I am a bastard. I’m pushing her out of my life. When I found out about her betrayal, something inside of me broke. I’ve always managed to be detached in life. Ana stopped that. Her betrayal nearly brought me to my knees and that is unacceptable. No one will have that control over me again. No matter how much I may wish it was different.

I walk out of the room and keep going. Allen stops me at the door, I know he’s worried about his sister, but I can’t talk to him. Right now, I don’t think I can talk to anyone. If I did, the only words I’d want to say would be begging Ana not to leave.

“Take your sister home, Allen. Make sure she doesn’t come back,” I growl, opening the door. When the night air hits me, it does nothing to drive away Ana’s scent. I have a feeling nothing ever will.

It’s over.