When The Clock Strikes (ONC 2020)

10| Midnight

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I recognized my ex-fiance. What the hell was he doing here? And why now? Why did he have to show up here, the night of the most perfect date that I've ever had?

"What are you doing here?" I asked. Considering how shocked I was, I was surprised my voice was so steady.

"You know why I'm here, Ally. Where is the ring? I know you didn't sell it."

I was never going to hear the end of that damn ring. But there was one other thing I really needed to know before I gave it over to him. "How the hell did you get in here? I had the locks changed after you left."

He gave me a cold smile. "That's the thing about money. It tends to get you what you want. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Excuse me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He looked to Ryder who has been standing silently by my side. "You know she's just a waitress, right? She can barely even take care of herself. She's just going to weigh you down."

I couldn't have been more shocked if Adam had slapped me across the face. When did he become this person? He never spoke like this. To me or anyone.

Ryder opened his mouth to say something, but I grabbed his hand and squeezed. He looked at me and I shook my head. Something told me that Ryder was going to defend me; and I loved that about him. But I needed to do this on my own.

"You want your fucking ring?" I stormed past Adam into my bedroom to get the ring from it's hiding place in my closet.

My fury continued to rise the more I thought about what he said. A small part of me wanted to break down and cry. Not because I loved Adam; but because it was hard to believe that he would treat me this way after we spent years of our lives together.

He was treating me as if I meant nothing to him. If that was the case, why did he even propose? Why did he even ask me out to begin with? Or move in with him? It wasn't like he didn't know who I was. I met him in my restaurant for fuck's sake. I was the one who served him.

That's when something dawned on me. There were multiple times he offered me a job at his work. He would do it subtly, like we were talking about the weather. He tried to control what I would eat and make suggestions all the time. He tried to change me. That's what it was. He tried to change me into the woman he wanted me to be. To him, I wasn't good enough. Not for him or his money. When he realized I wasn't going to change who I was, he broke it off.

I grabbed the ring and stormed back into the living room where Adam was waiting. I glanced to Ryder. He was standing in front of Adam with his arms crossed over his chest. Ryder's eyes met mine and I saw his silent question of concern. He wanted to make sure I was okay.

I walked straight up to Ryder, kissed him om the cheek, then put my lips to his ear and whispered, "I got this." As I turned back around to face Adam, I felt Ryder's arms circle around my waist. 

"Here's your ring, Adam," I chided as I held it out to him. "If that's all you came for, then you and your attitude can leave. This is my apartment that you're trespassing in." 

He snatched the ring from me and sucked his teeth. "Please. I'm the reason you have this apartment. My name is still on the lease. Besides," he lifted my name tag for work from the table, "I don't think it'll be long before you have to call me to pay for this." 

Ryder's arms tightened around me defensively and I tapped my hand on his. He seemed to catch my meaning and I felt him relax a little against me. Very, very, little. "You know what, Adam? I think it's time that I do get a place of my own. I'll have my things out of here by tomorrow night. As of now, you need to leave."