As Fate Would Have It | ✓

chapter twenty-nine

Song for the chapter: Wish You Were Here, by Avril Lavigne

Ryker POV

Being without Maddison proved to be an impossible fucking task.

I couldn't sleep, barely eat. I was a real life zombie walking around, starved and exhausted. But nothing made sense without her. Nothing.

When I saw her a whole week ago, I felt my heart leap in my throat and I almost ran to her. But I meant what I said—I needed her to realize her feelings for me, mine for her, and for her to fight for me. She gives up on me way too easily and I thought by now she'd come back to me.

I was sadly mistaken.

The look, the completely broken look on her face that night was permanently engraved in my mind. How sad, angry, and defeated she looked, how she accused me of lying...it broke my fucking heart to hear how she saw me.

She was everything I ever wanted, I ever needed. She's my whole world and she's blinded by this rage in her.

Of course, I broke her trust. She caught me in something I planned on giving up after that night, had she given me a chance to explain. But she didn't. She never chooses to believe me—believe in me. She assumes the worst when it comes to us, and it hurts each damn time.

But she seemed fine.

I kept my distance, but I couldn't help but be around her, or in the same place as her. Thinking on it now, it actually sounds fucking psychopathic. But, fuck. She's my reason for breathing. I can't just let her go that easily.

So naturally, I approached Brad first. I, very kindly, told him to make sure that Maddison doesn't spend a fucking penny on this place. And he'd better call me, first, before he called Maddison. Oh, and if he mentioned it to her in any way, I'd snap his neck. But who cares.

Then, I made a very shady withdrawal from the bank. I put it all in a bag and kept it tucked in my jacket until I reached her apartment complex. I walked straight into the landlords office and had a nice chat.

He was quick to accept the money, cash, that I was willing to put down on the spot in order for him to accept Maddison's contract. It was her security deposit, plus ten percent, give or take, a years worth rent, and of course, the fucking pet deposit because I know how much she wants a damn dog.

But the money wasn't a problem. I was doing these stupid fights again for her, and she doesn't see that. She doesn't understand that I just wanted to provide for her and support her and fucking love her all the time.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. I blink several times to dismiss any fatigue trying to come over my body as I walk around the isles. I finally get a perfect view of her and my heart feels alive again.

She's smiling at a customer she was bagging and checking out for right now, like she wasn't at all upset about me. Like she never needed me as much as I needed her. She tilts her head as she places an item in the bag and turns towards the screen. She taps on it for a second and pauses, her eyes shifting around and scanning out towards where I was at.

"Shit," I mutter and run backwards like the coward I was.

I walk the edge of the store and try to make it out through the garden section, but that stupid son of bitch I saw making googly eyes at Maddison that one day walking in my direction. He caught sight of me, realization setting in them as I bolted out of there.