Sins of a Bad Boy (The Original Bad Boys Book 1) (40 page)

CHAPTER 53

William

William’s love for his baby girl grew as quickly as she did in the next couple of weeks. However, so did his resentment toward Ivy. As a man who’d been taught for ten years by Charles to always have the upper hand, he felt foolish being deceived by Ivy twice. Nevertheless, he couldn’t deny her visitation with Eva. William wasn’t capable of refusing Ivy that request. He wouldn’t do to Ivy what she’d done to him.

Unfortunately, that meant encountering Ivy much more often than he wanted. She came by frequently with Sean to feed or play with Eva, and seeing her bothered and saddened him. The mixture of feelings did change with time – some days he’d be more saddened than upset to see her – but forgiveness was unattainable. Even though, it was precious to witness mother and daughter interacting, still he couldn’t seem to muster up an ounce of mercy.

And as time went on, William realized he ought to expel the feelings he had for Ivy to break free so that he could enjoy his life with Eva more.

So Silk finally convinced William to indulge in women again.

After his third dinner date with the slender brunette, Miriam, a lady he met in the gambling club, he accepted her invite to accompany her home.

Miriam was a twenty-three year old, middle class woman, who was lovely and quiet. She’d been the only woman who’d held his attention longer than a minute lately. He disliked how she was fascinated with the upper class, but there weren’t many people that weren’t – except Ivy.

At her front door, William wavered.

“Are you coming in, William?” Miriam prompted, holding open the door in invitation.

If he went inside, he would pass a new milestone.

And he crossed the threshold, ready to move on and forget Ivy Hunter.

***

After an unusual night with Miriam, William still walked around with the same thoughts pestering his mind.

One night, after watching a sleeping Eva for over an hour, he went in search of a heavy drink in the gambling club.

Pushing his way through the crowd, he downed his second drink and sat next to Silk and a young blonde on the leather sofa in the center of the hall.

“William.” Silk clinked his glass with William’s.

“Busy night,” William said.

“Busy is good. Oh, I’m going to that new BDSM club on Jackson Boulevard. Come with me?”

William pondered the idea. Maybe a night of hardcore sin would lift his damn spirits? But he realized it wouldn’t. He wasn’t the same man that he was a year ago. He wasn’t the same man that he was with Charles. William required more than meaningless sex with countless women.

“No, I’m not in the mood.”

“You’re not in the mood for anything lately,” Silk replied. “How was it with Miriam?”

William ordered another drink when the servant came and then answered, “It was...okay.”

“Okay?” Silk’s brows climbed up his forehead. “That sounds depressing.” He gazed at him before advising, “You should really forgive Ivy, man. Stop whatever destructive path you’re on.”

Now it was William’s turn to be surprised. For weeks, Silk hadn’t meddled or said anything about Ivy. Although, Silk did always help Ivy and he liked her a lot, William could tell. It aggravated him when she would laugh freely with Silk or with other men.

So this was the first time Silk had mentioned anything regarding William’s withdrawn behavior toward Ivy.

“Don’t mention her,” William warned, feeling fed up with his twisted love with Ivy.

“You should stop fighting yourself. You’re your own worst enemy,” Silk stated, without judgment, standing and helping up his lady friend. “Don’t drink too much. Remember, Eva wakes up early. And I’ll see you tomorrow. Off to the sex club.” And he gracefully traipsed away, a little drunk himself.

William rubbed his temples and was vigorously downing more shots in silence. Several girls plopped down next to him and tried to spark a conversation, but with every drop of alcohol infusing his blood, he only saw Ivy’s face everywhere.

He blinked and blinked to try to clear her from his brain.

Then Miriam appeared by his side at the point when William was pretty drunk and wanted to fuck Ivy out of his thoughts.

“Good evening, William.”

“Miriam, nice to see you.”

She sat close next to him and before she could talk, William kissed her.

He didn’t want to talk.

He didn’t want to love Ivy.

He didn’t want to be alone.

Miriam was such an easy prey and allowed his onslaught.

“Come with me,” William ordered and tugged her to the hallway.

In the hall, it was quiet, and they kissed their way to the elevator.

William slammed her against the wall as their bodies molded together.

“William?”

Did his mind conjure Ivy?

He craned his neck and was confronted with Ivy, standing in his hallway. In response, he released Miriam and stepped back. Discomfort crept up, along with ire. William felt disordered and angry and drunk. Usually not a good combination. As always, Ivy’s beauty made his groin ache. She wore a simple lilac cotton dress that flared at her hips. Her gaze darted around, looking past him. Then, as if she could sense where he stood, she found his face.

“Sean’s already told me you were kissing someone, William. And I could practically hear you two.”

So many emotions warred inside. It messed him up. All he wanted nowadays was to be free of the never-ending bond he had with Ivy. His annoyance rose because his plan to become too drunk to even remember Ivy had been ruined – by Ivy.

“What are you doing here this late?” William asked while Miriam shot Ivy an irritated look.

“I wanted to talk to you,” she replied haughtily.

“Then do so during the day when you visit Eva.”

“I never get you alone then. I need to talk in private.”

William raked his hair back with one hand. His tolerance level was lower than normal because of the alcohol in his system. And studying Ivy, his rampant emotions went wild. He despised the hold she had over him. Her presence drove him crazy.

“I don’t want to talk to you, Ivy.” His tone was harsh. “I don’t want to see you. Unless it’s about Eva, we have nothing to say. You’re here too often. I can’t live like this. We need to make an arrangement. You need to make appointments from now on to have time with Eva.”

“What? How?” Tears pooled in her eyes as she looked straight through him.

“I’m not exactly sure.” He felt so uneasy having this painful discussion with Ivy while Miriam stood there. “Just don’t pop up whenever you feel like it anymore.”

Ivy inched closer and grabbed his arm with her first attempt. “I know your lady is still here because I can smell her strong perfume. I may be blind, but I’m not stupid. You couldn’t even have the courtesy to wave her away?”

When William sighed, a stunned expression flashed across her face.

“What have you been drinking? You reek of liquor,” she chided and edged even closer to him.

William was unable to pull away. It had been weeks since he and Ivy had been this close together.

“William, what are you doing? Why are you shutting me out? Are you adding to your list of regrets? Don’t do this. I’ve learned from my mistakes. And I know you love me. But I couldn’t stand it if you slept with another woman, William. It would be over then, for good.”

“Then it’s already over,” he told her. The second the words flew out of his mouth, he regretted them.

Ivy’s expression turned desolate.

In reaction, William lifted his hand to caress the contours of her face.

But Miriam coughed, looking supremely displeased with Ivy and William’s intimate stance.

He had two choices: go with Miriam and start anew or stay with Ivy and give her a third chance. His heart couldn’t handle more of Ivy’s lies or perhaps other skeletons in her closet. He was tired and needed a quiet life with Eva. William placed his hands on Ivy’s shoulders and held her at arms-length.

While a bomb detonated in his heart, he said, “Go home, Ivy.”

“Don’t go with her, William,” she pleaded with a trembling lip.

He couldn’t handle seeing her cry, so he spun around and dragged Miriam with him to his office, leaving Ivy alone in the hallway.

CHAPTER 54

Ivy

There are certain defining moments in life. Moments when you can sense that it’s the end. When William walked away from Ivy with another woman, she grasped that was the moment that William undeniably put an end to them. He had once said that there would forever be an ‘us’, but apparently he’d lied.

Ivy leaned back against the wall and let her tears stream down with the finality of the sound of his boots moving further and further away. Her knees gave out, and she sagged to the ground, feeling utterly destroyed. Pain sliced her heart.

He’d moved on with another woman. While she’d held on to the last shred of hope, she’d visited Eva as much as she could so that neither of them would forget her. But William’s blatant words had pierced her, and she finally realized that it was time to let go of that hope.

Her love story with William had both started and ended with disaster. She’d come so close to having it all. If she’d only confessed to him sooner, he would’ve forgiven her. But finding out the way he did, damaged his already tainted soul too much.

Perhaps happy endings were truly only for the rich? She also realized that she’d forever be dependent on William when it came to Eva. He decided whether or not and when Ivy could visit her. Yet it did give her peace that Eva was with her biological father and not some strangers as parents.

Trapped in her black mind, she cried alone in the dark, grieving the loss of ever being a family with Eva and William, until she felt someone tugging her up.

“Ivy, let’s go home,” Sean said as he helped her up. “It’ll be fine, little sis. I promise.”

“Oh, Sean. He told me to make an appointment if I want to see Eva in the future.”

He held Ivy by her shoulders. “Then we’ll do that.”

“He left with that other woman,” she commented disbelievingly as another tear rolled down her cheek.

***

Ivy had been consumed with horrible images. She kept imagining how beautiful William’s girlfriend was and how she was probably playing with Ivy’s child. On top of that, she’d never felt lonelier. The blackness that constantly surrounded her isolated her from the world. When Ivy wasn’t with Eva, she was useless.

Moving on seemed impossible for Ivy, but as the days passed, she finally became determined to do so. She didn’t want to be a young, naive girl that kept expecting forgiveness that would never come.

Sean was home often. However, he also had a life of his own and went out at night. There were days when Ivy felt all alone, so she enrolled in more classes to learn to handle her disability quicker and was getting around well, although she was still apprehensive about venturing outside by herself. Any loud environment where someone can’t clearly discern sounds is scary for a blind person.

Slowly, Ivy taught herself to be more social. She wasn’t a con woman anymore. And she forced herself to get used to her condition. She forced herself to forget William. He was the father of her child, nothing more.

She even met a new guy, Tim, at her lessons. He was her teacher, and he walked her home sometimes. While Ivy had kept her distance from him at first, after William left her in that hall to most likely go have sex with another woman, she’d accepted his offer.

The windy day lifted Ivy’s blue mood as she tucked her arm in the crook of Tim’s while they strolled down the noisy street after class.

“Do you want to visit Chez Louis tonight?” Tim asked.

She sighed and agreed. Ivy actually wanted to decline Tim’s offer and go to William tonight, but she couldn’t handle his cold conduct anymore. She hadn’t visited Eva in two days, and William hadn’t responded to her latest message. If she didn’t hear from him by tomorrow, she would ask Sean to talk to William.

William had been pulling away from Ivy, and she’d let him go. If he wanted another woman, then so be it. But the thought still pained her. His dismissal had left a hole in her heart that never mended. But Ivy stayed strong. She fought back, trying to rebuild a life.

“Shall I pick you up at seven?”

“Okay—”

A loud honk made her pause.

All of a sudden, the mood shifted. Tim stopped walking, and a brisk rush of wind blazed past her cheek, making her shiver.

William must be nearby.

“Tim,” she started, angling her body toward him. “What’s going on?”

“Ivy,” William answered. “I’m here with Eva. She’s in the stroller.” His voice was flat, hard, and it seemed as if he wasn’t standing facing her.

“I sent you a message.”

“I replied this morning. Who’s your friend?” William asked briskly.

His loud exhales reached her ears.

Was William jealous?

Ivy was standing pressed close to Tim, their arms entwined.

“Oh, this is Tim. From class. Tim, this is—”

“William,” he finished, and suddenly, she felt someone tugging her elbow, calmly prying her away from Tim.

Apparently, William didn’t want to shake his hand.

Ivy noted William’s tensed body heat as he stood before her and held her hand, guiding it to the side and down until she felt something soft, then a little nose she would recognize anywhere.

“Eva,” she breathed.

“She’s awake,” William spoke close to her ear.

Ivy disliked yet liked what William was doing. After weeks of distance, his jealousy was making him act nicely toward her. And Ivy’s delight at touching and smelling Eva made her overlook his horrible behavior as of late.

And she wanted to stay with Eva. “Tim, I’m going to join William and Eva, okay?”

“Ivy…” William interrupted, but she ignored him.

“Okay, I’ll see you later.” And she heard Tim’s receding footsteps.

Ivy had bent forward a little to play with Eva’s hands.

“Ivy, I’m not alone. Miriam’s with me,” William said in a remorseful tone.

Ivy shot up.

“You could’ve said that a little sooner,” Ivy heard Miriam mumble agitatedly.

Ivy’s frustration with William peaked. “Yes, you could’ve mentioned that before, William.”

Now Ivy felt silly for dismissing Tim and assuming that she, Eva, and William would go for a walk.
No!
He should’ve said something. In that moment, Ivy abhorred her affliction.

“I...” William began but never finished.

Ivy pursed her lips. After weeks of silence, of accepting the way he’d treated her, because she felt she deserved it, she also believed that her penance was done.

And what was she to do now? Be the third wheel and accompany them? Interpreting the situation wasn’t difficult, even for a blind person. She could feel the tension.

“I’m sorry,” William uttered.

Ivy had reached her boiling point with him.

Maybe William sensed it, because he abruptly instructed Miriam, “Go on. I’ll catch up.”

There was an unusually long silence before Miriam moved away.

Now, Ivy had to speak her mind. “What the hell was that about? You greet me being all possessive, and you glare at Tim.” She was certain William had shot daggers at him.

He didn’t bother to deny it, spitting, “Who the hell is Tim? What are you doing with him, Ivy?” He stepped closer to Ivy, now standing right in front of her.

“That’s none of your business! You should’ve mentioned Miriam was here! I’m blind. You made me feel stupid!” She swallowed back the brick lodged in her throat.

“Oh, Ivy.” His hands covered her cheeks.

“No!” She shook her head to force him to release her and pressed her palm against his chest.

His masculine scent invaded her nostrils and a blur of memories emerged. But she pushed them down and said, “No, I don’t want your fake comfort. Don’t do this ever again. Next time, just tell me when she’s with you. And where’s your girlfriend now?” Saying that left a bad taste in her mouth.

“She’s at the end of the street with Eva.”

“Making sure she doesn’t see us?” she spat mockingly and pushed him back so there was a reasonable distance between them. “Then let’s ensure there’s nothing to see. You chose to move on with her. You chose to start a life without me. Now I’m trying to do the same, and you have no right to display any possessiveness. You should get used to seeing me with other men. You made your bed, now go lie in it.”

She swore she heard him curse under his breath.

A sense of empowerment she’d lost on the same day as her eyesight returned to her body as she walked away from him and felt his gaze burning into her back.

She kept going, rather unsteadily, because she didn’t have her cane. Tim had escorted her, so she didn’t need it. But she realized how close they must’ve been to William’s high-rise and counted her steps toward the park. When she didn’t know whether or not to turn, she asked a passing pedestrian. So, all alone, Ivy found her way deep into the park, away from the noisier area. Closer to the pond, she could still hear people murmuring and children playing, so she flopped back onto the grass.

Ivy refused to shed more tears over her ruined relationship with William. She’d apologized, groveled, and waited. Waited until he started a new life with someone else. And she was left alone. Blind.

Isn’t that enough retribution?

Still, the anguish was unbearable. The hole in Ivy’s broken heart expanded.

If the key to a good love story was a tragic ending, then theirs was a great love story.