Savage Unapologetic(91)

       
         
       
        

We had buried it underneath a boulder, but I had no clue which one. There were quite a lot them, about a dozen or so. It had been several years since I had been here, and my damn razor-sharp memory remained mum, offering no help whatsoever.

I began at the closest boulder, kneeling over it as I shoved it with all my might before I began to dig into the moistened dirt. Five minutes later, there was no sign of a blue tin can.

"Damn. Where the fuck is it?" I groaned with frustration as I scanned each massive rock, questioning my sanity as I did so.

"Looking for this?" a voice came from behind the oak tree.

I blanched as I looked up to find River, a murderous looking River. He shook the tin as if to make sure the contents were still inside. The round tin seemed so small in his hand.

My heart pounded as I stood up, hastily brushing off the dirt on my knees. "Give it to me!" I demanded as I gazed at him with trepidation, exhilaration, and hatred all in one scornful glance.

"You wanna burn it?" Unperturbed, he took a few steps, stopping five feet away from me. "Good, I'll help you. I don't do cheating sluts, anyway."

Oh, the barb! I didn't feel shit. How dare he accuse me of cheating when he was running around town with some super model? He could kindly go fuck himself. Oh wait, I bet he already did that and then some before getting here.

His dark, savage eyes drilled into my own, unwavering as he pulled the tin open as he closely watched my reaction before harshly spilling its contents on the ground. He pulled a lighter from his back pocket and flipped it open, a fire flickering to life. Still holding my gaze, he dropped the metallic lighter on top of the heap.

Letters of vows. All of his previous Valentine's cards containing lyrical poetry describing us and our love. Pictures of us. Dozens of promise letters with our bloodied thumbprints. Notes of our dreams, of our future, burning  …

All burned.

To ashes.

To nothingness.

He never looked down to check his fiery creation. His hardened disdain emanated from his eyes, glinting like black diamonds as they trained on me.

"You're dead to me, Cara." Detached and cold, he marched away, leaving me uprooted on the same spot as I hatefully watched him trudge back downhill.

"Bastard," I hissed into thin air before my gaze dropped down to the ashes. His grandmother's ring twinkled at me. I hesitantly plucked it under the charred memories of my past, slipping it inside the pocket of my jean shorts before I marched out of there, too.

The past buried and burned.

River just couldn't let it go without needing to make sure I knew he was the king douchebag of the century.

How the heck had he even gotten here? How long had he been waiting for me? He was such an infuriating man, always wanting to win, always wanting to have the last word, to the very end. 

Well, he could kindly go fuck himself.





Chapter Twenty-Six



River just pulled out of the parking lot in his brand new black Lamborghini. The very same one pictured with his lady model friend last night. The tires screeched so loudly as he rounded the corner, gunning it hard as if he couldn't wait to get away from me.

He had left way before I did, so what the fuck had he been doing, sitting and waiting in his car? Was he trying to make sure I didn't light myself on fire, too?

"Asshole," I groaned out before stepping on the pedal while I hastily maneuvered my car.

Not only did I feel grimy, sweaty, severely dehydrated, and out of my mind exhausted, my body throbbed so badly I could feel a few blisters on my feet.

It's over …

I swallowed the excessive dryness in the back of my throat, willing myself not to shed another tear. Not for him. Not for any damn man. I'd had it. They could all go to hell.

The traffic wasn't as bad going back home. I was so consumed with my own thoughts that I barely realized what was happening until the first car spun out of control, crashing into another vehicle. Then another. A ghastly chain reaction as I watched in terror when a large SUV crashed into the back of a black Lamborghini making it spin uncontrollably, hitting two cars before it smashed into the divider then an oncoming car sped into it, colliding directly into the hood of River's car before it spun a few feet away.

Everything went still. A sharp, earsplitting sound echoed in my ears. I watched in agonizing horror as everything played before me like some sick, twisted joke.

I could see him from a distance, face against the wheel, unconscious. His airbag hadn't deployed.

Then a burst of flame ignited under the wrecked hood before it turned into this massive ball of fire, engulfing the front outer exterior of the car. Meanwhile, the unaffected cars swerved around the accident as they drove on, hurrying to get to their destination.