Page 85 of Cruel King
With each step I take down the hallway toward apartment 813, my stomach clenches tighter and tighter. I shouldn’t do this. Ruining their first night back together will only make things worse.
But I keep walking anyway and stop when I reach his apartment. I put my ear to the door to see if I can hear them, but there’s nothing but silence. I slide the key into the doorknob and turn it to open the door, and when I step inside, it’s all dark. I listen once more for any sign they’re here, but his apartment is empty.
I ride down in the elevator as my mind fills with thoughts of Ava getting to travel the world with Theo as he races. She deserves that. Life on the estate was never enough for someone like her. She dreamed of excitement and fun, exactly what my brother offers.
This is how it should be. Ava and Theo living the life two people in love are supposed to have. She’ll get to experience all sorts of wonderful things with him. He’s got money, success, and now he has the one person who makes his life complete.
On my way out of his building, I see the doorman. I don’t know why I need to ask him if he’s seen them. It’s just another way of torturing myself, but maybe I deserve all the pain I can feel for all I’ve done.
“Excuse me, do you know Theo King? He lives in apartment 813,” I ask the man as he holds the door open for another tenant.
He smiles, just like everyone does when they hear my brother’s name. “Oh, Mr. King! I absolutely know him.”
“I’m his brother, Matthias King. I was upstairs looking for him, but he doesn’t seem to be home. Did he and a woman leave recently?”
With a shake of his head, the man says, “Oh, Mr. King, your brother left yesterday. He told me he was looking forward to a race in France somewhere this weekend. He had no lady with him when he left, though. He was all alone. I wished him luck, and then I got him into a cab to take him to the airport. I’m guessing he’s already in France by now.”
I smile halfheartedly and shake the man’s hand. “Thank you for all your help. I appreciate it. Good evening.”
As I walk down the street, I take one last look up at Theo’s apartment as sadness fills me. He didn’t wait for her. Why didn’t he wait? He must know she’s devastated at losing him. Didn’t he tell her he just needed time in his letter?
I stop at the corner and take my phone out of my pocket to send him a text.
Your doorman toldme you’re racing this weekend. Good luck.
There’s so much moreI want to say but sending it in a message doesn’t seem right. He never replies to my text, and I don’t try a second time.
After what I did, I deserve it if my brother never speaks to me again.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
Ava
My fatherand I sit at our modest kitchen table we’ve had since I was only a little girl. It routinely feels like it’s going to collapse, and the chairs creak whenever anyone sits down on them. Still, I think it reminds my father of a time when my mother was still here and all four of us happily lived in this house.
“So? Any plans for what you want to do now?” he asks in a chipper voice.
I shake my head and force a smile. “I’m not sure. I guess I could do anything, right?”
“Pretty much. Max always cared for you like one of his own children, so now you get to have all the advantages they have. I thought maybe you’d fly to Europe like you used to talk about.”
The mere mention of Europe makes me want to cry. That’s where Theo is. I know he’s racing this weekend in France. I could fly there and try to see him, but I won’t. His letter told me it’s over, and I don’t have a choice but to accept that.
Another shake of my head is followed by another forced smile. “Not now. Maybe another time.”
Sadness fills my father’s eyes, and he frowns. “Oh. I just thought that since…”
He doesn’t finish his sentence, thankfully. I don’t think I can hear Theo’s name out loud right now. It’s still too soon and my emotions are too raw.
“You could travel somewhere else. How about Italy? You always said you’d love to visit Rome and Pompeii. Now that you have money, you can go in style. First class all the way for you, Ava.”
I chuckle at how he says that. “Yeah, I guess. I hear first class flights include some nice perks. Drew told me he got upgraded one time and there were free drinks, extra snacks, and even warm towels to clean his hands.”
My father’s eyes get big. “I had no idea. I think the next time I fly down to see him, I’m going to fly first class then. Extra snacks are always a good thing to me.”
Taking his hand in mine, I give it a squeeze for how cute he can be sometimes. “You’re definitely first class to me, Dad. You deserve to have only the best after all these years working for Mr. King.”
He gives mine a tiny squeeze and says, “It wasn’t bad, though. Max was great to work for. He never treated me like an inferior. I was his friend and someone he could rely on. That’s why he took care of us in his will. I think he hoped you’d finish school so you can be a nurse. It meant a lot to him that you took time away from your education to take care of him.”