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Te the call, he lowered the receiver and looked questioningly in Eleanor’s direction

"Sorry, sir, I know you’re busy but Miss Carlysle is here to see you"

It took him a htened, ending the call without hesitation

"Josie’s here?" he asked sharply "Send her in immediately"

Eleanor disappeared and Ash was already on his feet striding toward the door to meet Josie when she came in Josie hadn’t been to his office before Hell, he didn’t even remember if he’d told her where he worked

A moment later, the door pushed open and Josie walked slowly in, her face pale, eyes swollen Like she’d been fucking crying

He was in front of her in seconds, pulling her into his ar

"What’s wrong?" he demanded "What’s upset you, Josie?"

She pried herself away from him and walked by, toward the middle of his office where she just stood, back turned, her spine stiff

His gaze narrowed "Josie?"

When she didn’t respond he reached for her, turning her to face hiripped him by the balls as he took in her lifeless eyes

Josie always shined That was just her She could light up a rooeous sht and sunny Like every other part of her

But not today She looked worn Sad She looked devastated

When she pulled away froht line

"Re and especially if you’re upset about so, we do not discuss it with a roo me away, and that is not an option"

When he would have pulled her to hi hihtly "We’re over, Ash I’ve moved my stuff back to my apartment"

He couldn’t even control his reaction Of the hundred different things she could have said, he would have never i fuck?

"The hell we’re over," he bit out "What the fuck is going on, Josie?"

"I saw the paintings," she said hoarsely "All of them"

Fuck

He blew out his breath and ran a hand raggedly through his hair "Not the way I wanted you to find out, baby"

"No, I guess it wasn’t," she said scornfully "I don’t iine you wantedout and calling it quits just because I didn’t tell you I was the one who bought your paintings"

"Watch me," she said in an icy tone that was just not her

"Baby, you need to calm down and let me explain We’ll talk this out and then we’ll odda office and I’ it with you four feet away fro wall between us"

"Calm down?" she demanded "You lied to me, Ash You lied And I’m supposed to discuss and move on?"

"I never lied to you," he bit out

"Don’t give me that crap You did lie and you know it Moreover you antic fool out ofthose paintings You let me talk about it with your friends You let reat That I was able to support myself That I had money Options A future God, you really did a nule part of it is and was a lie"

"Jesus," he swore "Josie that is not what I intended at all"

She held up her hand "Do you knohy I didn’t argue with you aboutin? Why I let you talk me into it so easily? Because I felt like I could Because I had options Because I didn’t need you But I wanted you I thought I was self-sufficient Able to be soh I’ll never have all the money you do But it was i to our relationship Even if it was just a sense of self Me having confidence I was on top of the world, Ash Because I felt like for once I had everything A career You Really great friends And none of it, none of it was real!"

Every single one of her words sliced through hirown even paler, her eyes ht about her sense of value, of self-worth Of her feeling like she had options Of her not having to depend solely on him, even if that’s what he wanted But damn it, neither had he ever wanted to hurt her That wasn’t why he’d done it at all

"You manipulated every aspect of our relationship," she said painfully "You orchestrated every point Every ht out You played ht into your lap I should have known better when you blackmailed me into dinner Hell, the fact that you hadmy mother’s jewelry But I didn’t pay attention I didn’t think those were huge warning signs, though itthe God in your world that you thought nothing of playing God in h I’ I ever wanted to do! We can work this out, baby"

She was already shaking her head, and fear curled in his belly, spreading to his chest and into his throat, grabbing hi until he could barely breathe

"Goddamn it, Josie, I love you"