I couldn’t believe this. He’d just left, walked out! I’d really thought last night, after what had happened in the bedroom, the things he’d said, I thought he felt something. And even as I’d told him I hated him, I didn’t. I’d held fast, refusing to let go.

I felt something for him.

Then this morning, when he’d defended me, didn’t that mean something? And what about when he’d been so possessive when he’d seen Dominic in our room?

God, I was stupid.

His cell phone buzzed again, and I got up. He’d forgotten it in his rush. The latest text was on the screen.

“Are you getting my messages? I need you!”

The name of the contact read Natalie.

Natalie needed him?

And he’d dropped everything for her. In a fucking heartbeat, he’d dropped everything and run out of the house, not even remembering to take his cell phone with him!

Fine. That was fine. She was probably the reason he’d release me from my contract. He didn’t want me. I was a burden on him. He claimed not to have liked humiliating me last night, but he’d gotten hard doing it. He’d used me. He was getting off on it while he could. Probably cheating on Natalie while he was forced to keep me.

He made a fool out of me. I was a complete, fucking idiot.

He wanted Natalie? Fine. He could have her. He could fucking have her.

I walked into the bathroom that adjoined his study and dropped the cell phone into the toilet before I ran upstairs to my bedroom. I threw a few things into a duffel bag. I didn’t care about anything anymore. I wasn’t permitted to leave the grounds? I had to tell him where I was at all times?

He could go fuck himself. Or fuck her.

Fuck!

Flinging the duffel over my shoulder, I made my way to the garage. I knew they kept the keys to the cars there, and I’d seen the code Salvatore had punched into both the box that contained them and to open the gate yesterday. I was out of here. I was done.

Getting into a car was easy. Getting out of the garage easy. By the time I got to the gate, I saw Marco running down the driveway after me. I punched in the code to open the gate, but nothing happened.

“Shit.”

I tried again, one eye on the rearview mirror as Marco’s form neared. He ran fast.

I tried the code again, and again, nothing. I stopped, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Think. Think! You saw it yesterday!”