CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

ATLAS

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Nobody knows that I've been courting Molly via a weekly delivery of roses. I have no idea if she's shredding them, throwing them against the wall, or loves them.

No idea.

I'm going completely by instinct here.

Or I'm insane.

Either way, I'm showing Molly how I feel about her.

When we see each other again there will be plenty of opportunity to talk, but I wonder how many men have ever taken the time to consistently show up and proven that she means something to them.

It could be for nothing.

But I'll do whatever it takes.

I will fight for her.

If she tells me to take a hike tomorrow, I will honor her words, but only after she's listened to what I have to say. I'm heading into stalker territory here, I'm well aware.

But if Molly has been hurt, and I'm certain she has, then she needs someone who will go above and beyond each and every day to show her she can trust them.

I glance at the single black rose in the vase that I collected tonight.

I'm going to be delivering it.

Not a courier driver.

"No pressure but you have a big job to do. We have to make this girl fall in love with us. Okay? Good."

Great.

Now I'm talking to flowers.

Whatever it takes.

My elevator dings and I frown, walking over to it to see who it is. There are only a handful of people with access: my father, Knox, Bella, and Levi.

Harlow's privileges have been revoked.

It's Knox.

He looks unhappy.

"Divorced already?" I taunt him, sliding my hands into the pockets of my Armani pants.

"Fuck off. I need whisky," he says, walking right past me.

"Why?" I follow, and he hands me a glass after pouring two fingers in each.

"My wife has gone to meet some psycho dude with Molly."

My brows fly up. "What?"

The fuck?

"And you are here because why?" I growl.

Knox frowns. "Because her security guard is with her—"

"The one Payton doesn't know about yet?"

He nods like it's no big deal. "Yes and he's messaging me updates every ten minutes."

Speaking of stalking.

I walk around the marble countertop and lean. "Catch me up here. Why are they meeting a psycho? Is this a date?"

"Date? No. Fucking hell. It's one of Molly's exes. She's confronting him for some personal growth thing."

I drop my glass down so hard it nearly breaks.

"And you let her just go?! And didn't tell me. Jesus."

Now he's paying attention.

"You still into her?"

Yes I'm still fucking into her, but this is no time to chat about girls.

"Where are they?" I demand. If this is the guy that hurt her, there is no way I'm letting her do this without being there.

Jesus, he could reverse everything I've worked hard to achieve.

"Atlas—"

"Where are they, Knox?" I ground out.

"I thought you just fucked her at my wedding?" he asked, confused. "Do you really like her?"

I said I did. Was he not listening?

To be fair he'd been drunk and it was a huge day for the happy couple, so I let it go as I rake a hand through my hair, glaring at him.

"Christ. Are you in love with her?"

"Yes. Now are we taking my car or yours?" I pocket my phone and grab my keys.

"Mine. You're losing your mind. And I'll have you know I probably will be divorced after this because I was told to stay home and not tell anyone. Now I realize that meant you ."

I snort.

"Whatever." I punch the elevator button.

We step in and then just as the doors begin to close, I yell wait , and race back inside to grab something.

I'm going to get my girl.

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MOLLY

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So my plan didn't work quite the way I expected. Apparently, this year Steve's company allowed them to bring their spouses to the Christmas party.

How ironic.

I figure that's why Steve never replied to my message. Or his phone number has changed. Either way, Payton and I thought we'd show up at the party and see if we could corner him.

That was before we knew his wife would be here.

The moment I saw them together I felt like vomiting.

"You got this," Payton says rubbing my shoulder. "What do you want to do?"

"Barf," I say, as my legs shake.

"Well I mean, throwing up on him would be good revenge. How close are you?" she asks, and I turn to see how serious she is.

Her shrug tells me very. It makes me laugh.

Then I do almost vomit.

"Maybe we should go?" I offer, feeling like a complete loser. I should have got over him by now.

I am over him.

I'm just not over his lies and I want closure so I can understand how he could've asked me to marry him when he was already a husband.

To someone else.

I want to understand why he chose me to be the fool to his games. I want to understand if he truly loved me.

Has he done it before?

Was there something about me that said easy target on my forehead?

Did he feel sad when we broke up?

Did he feel anything?

I'd told him to get the fuck out of my life, but his complete and utter silence was deafening. I'd expected some kind of apology, or attempt.

Nope.

Just silence.

Leaving me with a million questions and a ton of self-judgment, shame, and complete lack of trust in men. One that hasn't allowed me to move on.

Or love.

Worse...I can't let myself be loved.

I probably could've let it continue for years without really doing anything about it, but now there's Atlas.

I know he loves me. I can feel it in every single one of his notes. I can see it in every petal.

My heart aches to go to him.

I smile privately to myself.

I think I love Atlas.

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"Go, go, go. Here he comes." Payton nudges me as Steve walks toward us. "Will you be okay?"

"Yes," I say, shaking.

Payton moves into the shadows, and I step in front of Steve as he heads toward the restrooms.

"What are you doing here?" He grounds out, grabbing my arm.

"I need to speak to you," I say, trying to tug my arm back.

He's hurting me.

"Are you crazy. It's over. We were never getting married," Steve says as if I'm the one who got it wrong.

"I know that, asshole. My entire family knows that." I snap. "What I came here to ask is why you did it."

He rolls his eyes. "Jesus Molly. It was years ago. Move on."

My eyes fill with tears, and I hate that he gets to see me like this.

"I have. I am. I just want to know why," I say, my entire body shaking.

Steve's gaze dips and his eyes roam my body. I feel dirty and the urge to cover myself from this man I was intimate with hundreds of times shocks me.

Suddenly I see him for what he truly is.

A liar. A cheat. A creep.

Atlas is nothing like him. He's beautiful and kind and a romantic gentleman. Except in the bedroom, which is pretty perfect.

"You're a hot piece of ass, Molly. I liked fucking you. Nothing more," he says.

I wipe my tears away angrily. He doesn't deserve a single one of them.

"Then why propose? Why go to that extent?"

He looks over his shoulder and I know he's searching for his wife. Taking my arm again, he nudges me into the shadows, and I panic.

"What are you doing? Steve let me go!"

"You horny, Molly? You miss my cock? Is that why you're here?" He rasps and the familiarity of his scent so close messes with my mind.

This man knows every inch of my body. I was going to marry him. Part of me trusts him and part of me despises him.

I'm shaking as he starts to pull me behind some large potted plants.

"Yeah, you need your pussy fucked. Let's go into the bathrooms."

"No," I say, trying to stop him without making a scene.

"Five minutes and I'll have you creaming on my face." His hand slides down my back and I press my heels into the ground searching for Payton.

"Fuck I can't wait to feel your tits." Steve pushes his hand on the door to the restrooms.

Then I hear a voice.

"Get your fucking hands off her. Now."