Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
"Even if it meant hurting someone who had never done anything to you?" he asked hollowly.
God, he had been such a fucking fool.
Pippi had told him...
Pippi had fucking told him...
"I will never forget how you saved my life, Amy."
She had always dreamed of him calling her that, but now it only made her start to cry. Because now she knew - now she knew that him calling her like how everyone else called her - it meant she had truly lost him.
"But these days, it only seems that you saved me just to kill me over and over."
They looked at each other, both of them remembering—-
Amelia thrashing his library, accusing him of thinking she was stupid, when he had been the only one to love and respect her.
Amelia nearly bankrupting him, wanting Acheron to join her in hell when all that time he had begged for the chance to take her to heaven with him—-
"I don't want to hate you, but that's how things are going to end up if we don't part ways now." Acheron closed his eyes, and the memories - the few good memories he had of his childhood came sweeping back in, and they were all of her.
Because once, she had been his reason for living.
Because once, he had loved her.
And he liked to believe that she had loved him, too.
"Amelia..."
He opened his eyes, and it was only then he realized that she was gone.
Twenty-Seven
PIPPI: Please answer the phone.
Pippi: Please. Let's talk.
Pippi: Please.
Pippi: I love you.
But her phone remained silent, and the tears wouldn't stop falling. Pride begged her to give up, to cut her losses and consider the possibility that she could be wrong.
Acheron Simonides was a billionaire.
A drop-dead-gorgeous, incredibly sexy Greek billionaire!
Was it truly possible for a man like him to fall for a girl like her?
She stared at the messages she had typed, wondering how it would feel if Acheron turned out to be a jerk and made his own cruel viral post. How Pathetic Women Can Get, Exhibit One.
Just imagining it made her want to throw up.
So give up.
But her heart refused to heed the words.
Love was supposed to be about taking risks together, and if she wanted to be with Acheron, she needed to find the courage to face these risks.
Pippi: I'm not going to give you up without a fight.
After taking a deep breath, she hit Send, and her heart skipped a beat.
Oh, the things she did for love.
To distract herself, she clicked on her phone's browser and started searching for the latest news about Acheron. Falling in love with a billionaire meant learning how to handle the rumors—-
And that was when she saw it.
A tweet from a well-known society gossip columnist, sharing a photo of Acheron and Amelia kissing in a pub.
The hashtag below it: #ATM
If only she could believe it meant 'automated teller machine'.
ACHERON HAD JUST GOTTEN back home when the news broke out, and when he saw Wickham waiting for him in the hallway outside his apartment, he knew right away something had fucking gone wrong again.
"How bad is it?"
"Extremely," Wickham said grimly, "if Ms. Jones happens to see them."
The billionaire took one look at the tweeted photos Wickham showed and stepped back into the elevator without a word. He knew - he already fucking knew - if he didn't make it in time, he might lose her for good.
When the knock sounded on the Joneses' front door, everyone looked at each other, knowing it could only be one person.
"I just want to talk."
And it was Acheron, of course.
"Don't let him in," Pippi cried out when Astrid started to stand.
But her mother only gave her a chiding look. "I didn't raise you to be a coward."
"Mom, please."
Astrid steeled herself against the tremor in her daughter's voice. "At least just talk to him..."
Pippi 's heart started to sink as she watched Astrid walk away to open the door.
Talk to him?
She couldn't even think of him without falling apart.
The door started to open.
I can't.
And she found herself breaking into a run.
Acheron caught sight of Pippi's tearstained face just as she flew up the stairs, and his heart clenched. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why couldn't he stop hurting her? He glanced at Astrid, torn between his need to apologize and go after the woman he loved—-
"You're forgiven," the older woman said softly.
"Thank you."
Pippi heard Acheron's footsteps, and in her panic she locked herself in the first room she could reach -
And it just happened to be the Monarch Room.
Which was his room.
Omigodomigodomigodomigod.
His things were everywhere, and so were the memories - God, there were too many memories, and she sank to her knees with a sob.
Pain ravaged Acheron's heart at hearing Pippi cry. "It's not what you think, baby."
Pippi squeezed her eyes shut against the hoarse sound of his voice.
"You were right all along. Amelia...had feelings for me, and she set the whole scene up. She wanted to keep causing trouble between us—-"