Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Nine
Alicia's POV
I was finally done with work.
Hours of contracts and emails and calls. My eyes burned from staring at the screen. My shoulders ached from tension.
But the real ache was deeper. In my chest. In the place where Malachi lived rent-free in my mind. My ache was Malachi Blackwood.
He'd been rubbing his relationship with Cecilia in my face. That's what it felt like anyway. Always mentioning her. Always making sure I knew they had plans. Always touching her where I could see.
Getting me jealous. Making me want what I couldn't have. Making me hurt.
Except now I knew the truth. They were fake dating. The whole thing was an act.
Which made it worse somehow. Because it meant every touch. Every smile. Every public display of affection. It was all calculated. All deliberate.
All designed to make me feel exactly how I felt. Jealous. Possessive. Desperate. Selfish, even.
I hated him for it. And wanted him more because of it.
