He Left Me to Freeze, So I Burned His World Down Chapter 06

He Left Me to Freeze, So I Burned His World Down Chapter 06

At the finest French restaurant in Virginia, Graham Lockwood was celebrating his victory.

He handed a glass of champagne to Piper, his arm draped possessively over the back of her chair as he announced to their friends, “To Piper. She deserves all of this.”

“Of course, of course!” a man immediately raised his glass. “Graham, you should’ve done this ages ago. Some things just get messier the longer you let them drag on.”

Piper’s cheeks flushed. She lowered her head shyly, her fingers stroking a new diamond bracelet on her wrist. The frail, touching posture stirred a protective instinct in the men at the table.

“True,” another voice cut in, eager for drama. “But I heard your methods were a little rough when you helped Ava’s friend ‘calm down.’”

The atmosphere at the table froze.

He meant Nora Blake. Last night, Graham had indeed sent his men to teach her a small lesson. A necessary warning.

“A woman locked in a tack room overnight, that’s all,” Graham said dismissively, a trace of irritation in his voice. “Let’s not bring up unpleasantness today.”

He lifted his glass and took a sip of champagne, but his gaze drifted past the crowd to the restaurant’s enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.

Washington’s skyline glittered outside, but he couldn’t see it.

Ava.

The name was a tiny thorn lodged in his nerves.

She had changed ever since she woke up from that riding accident.

Before, no matter how late he came home, a light was always left on for him in the entryway. His stomach was sensitive, and no matter the hour, she would go into the kitchen and make him a bowl of warm soup. She knew his favorite suit brand, which tie went with which shirt. Every morning, his clothes would be laid out neatly at the foot of the bed.

Her life had revolved around him.

Now, all of that was gone.

She no longer waited up. She no longer prepared anything for him. She barely even looked at him anymore. The eyes that had once been filled with adoration now held only a strange, assessing coldness.

Once, he had deliberately come home wearing Piper’s perfume and had taken Piper’s call right in front of her. He had expected a breakdown, jealousy, hysterics.

But she had simply walked past him as if he didn’t exist.

He had finally lost his patience and cornered her in the hallway.

“What is this act, Ava? If you’re unhappy, then cry. Make a scene. Be a normal woman.”

She had just looked up at him with something like pity and smiled.

“I’m not acting, Graham. I’m just… tired.”

It was like swinging a punch and hitting cotton. He felt powerless, out of control. He hated that feeling.

“Graham? Darling, what are you thinking about?”

Piper’s voice dragged him from his thoughts. The smile on her face was a little stiff; she had clearly noticed his distraction.

“Nothing.” Graham pulled himself together and picked up the menu. “Just thinking about what dessert to order for you.”

He forced his attention back to her and ordered an expensive molten chocolate cake.

Piper’s expression brightened. She lifted her wrist, showing off the bracelet, her voice just loud enough for the neighboring tables to hear.

“Look. Graham gave this to me. He said it was to celebrate our ‘new beginning.’”

Her display successfully drew the attention of the next table over.

Just then, at a table not far away, several elegantly dressed women suddenly stood.

They set down their napkins, their gazes like shards of ice aimed directly at Graham’s table.

One of Graham’s companions recognized them, his face paling slightly as he lowered his voice.

“They’re Ava’s friends.”

The women walked through the restaurant on slim, sharp heels, their path direct and unwavering.

With every step they took, the air seemed to grow heavier.