I stared down at the carefully worded letter with tears welling up in my eyes. I knew this was what I needed to do, but like I had said in the letter, it wasn't easy.
I did care Syros. If he had shown me any love and affection at all over the years, I would have happily stayed with him for the rest of my life, but he couldn't even do that.
Hell, the man had never even kissed me on the lips.
In public, he was attentive and gracious. He showed me every courtesy. He always pulled my chair out for me, opened car doors, and placed his hand in the small of my back when we were walking.
In private, he didn't even know I existed. As soon as the doors closed behind us, he would walk away, not talking to me or asking any questions. He knew the facts that were on my birth certificate and nothing more.
He didn't know me.
And me's heart was breaking every second I spent watching the man I was supposed to marry treat me as a commodity. I was the pretty little doll he pulled down off the shelf to play with in the public eye. Beyond that, he didn't need me or care about me.
He certainly didn't love me.
And I just couldn't live with that.
I carefully folded the letter and placed it in a large, padded envelope with Syros's name on it. I took a moment to stare down at the ring he had tossed at me, twisting it around my finger.
It was more than likely the only engagement ring I would ever see in my lifetime. I couldn't let anyone else into my life while Syros still held my heart, and it was going to take a bit to get rid of him.
I pulled the ring off and slid it into the envelope before sealing it closed. I hadn't been sure what to do with it at first, and had even considered mailing it to him at work, but this seemed like the best idea.
I had no doubt that once Syros peeled himself away from his mistress, he'd come looking for me. I just hoped it didn't take more than two weeks because that's when the lease was up and the landlord was legally able to rent the place again.
I set the envelope on a cardboard box just a few feet from the front door. If he came in—which I am sure he would when I didn't answer the door—he would see it no problem. It was the only thing left in the entire apartment.
It was all I could do to walk out the door instead of snatching up the letter and ripping it into a million pieces so Syros would never see it.
I knew once I locked the door, it was over.
The heavy clank of metal as I turned the lock echoed in my mind like a death knell of everything I had been dreaming of since I was sixteen years old.
I drew in a shaky breath and then turned toward the elevator. It was a quick trip down to the first-floor level. I almost wished it had taken longer. In no time at all, I was outside climbing onto my bike.
I turned on the bike to let the engine warm up a little and then pulled on my jacket, helmet, and gloves. I popped the kickstand up and started to turn the throttle just as a black luxury town car pulled into the spot right in front of me.
I froze.
The passenger side door opened, and Syros climbed out before his driver could open it. I watched as he strode purposely toward the building, his steps almost angry.
I waited until the door closed behind him before glancing over my shoulder and then weaving my way into traffic.
So, he had come after me. That didn't change anything. He was still using me as part of a business merger, his mistress was still hanging around, and he still didn't care about me.
There was no reason to stay.
