Chapter Nine

Tears pricked her eyelids and it only made her more furious that she was actually upset over seeing Matt Bradford again. So much for getting over him.

No, she didn’t want to face him. She never wanted to see him again. Never did she want anyone to have the kind of power he had to hurt her. Never again.

She buried her head in her hands, trying to comfort herself.

“I was a fool to love him,” she whispered. “I was a fool to think I could ever fit in and that his family would accept me. I was so wrong and so stupid.”

She jumped when the door behind her vibrated with a knock. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she put a shaky hand to her chest. She stared at the door as if she could see through it.

“Savvie, open the damn door. I know you’re in there.”

Matt. God. The very last person she wanted to open the door to.

She put a hand to the wood and leaned forward, unsure of whether she should ignore him or respond.

The force of his second knock bumped her hand and she snatched it away.

“Go away, Matt” she finally shouted. “I have nothing to say to you.”

Suddenly the door shuddered and flew open. She took several hasty steps backward. "You asshole" she said. "You could have hurt me".

He didn't reply. He filled the doorway, looking as big and formidable as ever. Nothing had changed except for new lines around his mouth and eyes. His gaze stroked over her, piercing through any protective barriers she thought to construct. He’d always had a way of seeing right to the heart of her.

Fresh grief flooded through her chest. Damn him. What else could he possibly want to do to hurt her? What else could he possibly want from her? He had already destroyed her.

“Get out,” she said, proud of how steady her voice sounded. “Get out or I’ll call the police. I have nothing to talk to you about. Not now. Not ever.”

“That’s too bad,” Matt said as he stalked forward, “because I have plenty to talk to you about. Starting with where the hell you have been these past months.”

Savannah willed herself not to rage at him. Instead, she looked calmly at him, coolly, while emotions boiled beneath the surface like molten lava ready to erupt.

“It’s none of your business.” She said. "You know you have a lot of nerve barging in here like you own the place. How did you even find me?"

His nostrils flared. “It wasn't so hard to figure out" he said. "You are still working in the same place, and I thought, why not check out your old apartment. And here you are. Do you even have any idea how long I have been looking for you?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down. “Now why would you be looking for me. I don't have anything that belongs to you and I'm not your responsibility?”

Matt resisted the urge to tell her just how wrong she was. She had something that belonged to him. His heart. And no matter how much he had tried to move on, she had stayed with him.

Savannah wanted to hit him. For a man only too willing to believe she’d slept around, it seemed pretty damn ridiculous that he’d barge into her apartment demanding to know where she had been after he falsely accused her, insulted her and kicked her out of his life. He certainly had a lot of nerve.

“Damn it, Savvie , we were engaged. We lived together and we were already planning our wedding. It might not have ended well, but I truly cared about you. And yes, I was worried about you since you seemed to have just dropped off the face of the earth”.

She raised an eyebrow and studied him for a moment. “There is no need to care or worry about where I was or what I was doing. I was probably off hooking up with a lot of guys. After all I was with so many other men when we were together, your brother included.” She shrugged nonchalantly and turned away from him, going into the kitchen.

He was close on her heels and she could feel the anger emanating from him. “You’re a bitch, Savvie. A cold, calculating bitch. I gave you everything and you threw it away for a little gratuitous sex on the side.” he said.

She whipped around, the urge to hit him so strong that she had to curl her fingers into a fist to keep from doing just that. “Get out. Get out and don’t ever come back.” She yelled.

His eyes glittered with anger and frustration. “I’m not going anywhere, Savvie, not until you tell me what I want to know.” he said.

She bared her teeth. “I wasn't homeless or lying in a ditch somewhere as you can see." she said." I went to live with my cousin. And yes I found a way to survive without you or your money. You seemed very convinced that that was the only reason why I was with you. There I told you. Happy? Now go.”

“Did you keep in touch with Enzo?” he asked softly, like he was scared of the answer.

“Why don’t you ask him?” Savannah replied, angry that he still thought that she would want anything to do with his stupid, lying brother.

“We don’t talk about you,” he bit out..

“Well, I don’t want to talk about either of you. I want you out of my apartment. It isn’t your business where I was or what I have been doing. Get out of my life. I did as you asked. I got out of yours.” She said.

“You didn’t give me a choice.”

She looked scornfully at him. “Choice? I don’t remember having a choice either. You made that choice for both of us.”

He stared at her in disbelief. “You’re a piece of work, Savvie. Still the innocent martyr, I see.” he said.

She walked over to the door and opened it, looking expectantly at him.