After Hurting Me to the Point of Being Battered, He Was Heartbroken

Five years since the breakup.

I'd imagined countless ways I might run into Matthew Graham again—or maybe never see him again at all.

But never like this.

He was sitting just a few feet away, his arm around Georgia Mitchell, his eyes mocking as they lock on me.

"If you need money, Miss Scott, it's no problem. A drink for five million. Go ahead, drink."

——

His gaze hit me like a punch to the chest.

The man who once held me at the center of his world now hated me down to his bones.

I pressed my lips together, staring at the row of whiskey glasses in front of me. Slowly, I raised one.

"Five million for a drink, right?" I say.

Georgia covered her mouth, her eyes wide with feigned shock. "Amelie, you're really gonna do it?

"I mean, I remember back then, you wouldn't even blink at spending a couple million on a bracelet."

She turned to Matthew. "Right, Matthew? I'm not wrong, am I?"

Matthew patted her head and nodded lightly. "That's right. Miss Scott used to think I was too poor for her, and she said I couldn't keep up with her lifestyle."

His voice was cold, and the cigarette between his fingers flickered in the dim light.

Georgia chuckled softly. "Amelie, looks like you've finally fallen off your pedestal, huh?"

Matthew's eyes cut back to me, his tone flat. "Well, well. How things change. Who would've thought that Miss Scott would one day be bowing for a few bucks?"

Georgia's face lit up with smug satisfaction. "Five million for a drink, Miss Scott. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me." She crossed her arms. "Go on, Amelie. I'll count for you."

Without hesitating, I tilted my head back and downed the whiskey in one go. The burn of the alcohol made my eyes sting.