Jaxen POV
I didn’t go far after I left Scarlett’s hotel.
Her “no” was still lodged in my chest like a damn fist, so I ducked into the restaurant across the street and grabbed a table by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
From there I could see the big glowing sign of her hotel clear as day.
I ordered whiskey. Then another. Then another.
After a while, the burn stopped registering.
All I could hear was that single word looping in my head.
No.
Was that all I was to her? Money? Status? The Hale name?
Did she ever actually like me, even a little?
She used to say “I love you” like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Used to smile at me like I was the only guy in the room.
Used to climb into my lap and bury her face in my neck like my scent was home.
Had every single one of
