Chapter 14
Calhoun’s POV
“Calhoun...?”
Carmela’s voice sounded far away, even though she stood right in front of me. Sweet. Coy. But I couldn’t feel anything but the ice crawling up my spine. I stared at her, letting the silence stretch between us, letting my eyes pin her where she stood. Her smile faltered, unease flickering across her face.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, softer now, like she sensed the shift.
I should’ve stayed quiet. Should’ve let it pass. But the words tore out of me, sharply.
“Why did you do it?”
Her head tilted. “Do what?”
My control snapped.
“Don’t play with me, Carmela. Why the fuck did you set Elodie up?”
The name hit her like a slap, but instead of guilt, she rolled her eyes. “Oh, this again? She’s just some Gamma. Why are you even this worked up? You said it yourself, she was nothing but an assistant.”
And she was right. I had said that. Over and over, I’d forced those words out like they meant something, like if I said them enough I’d believe them. But hearing them from her mouth made bile rise in my throat.
Because no matter how many times I told myself Elodie was nothing, my chest still burned like fire every time I remembered her eyes. The betrayal in them. The hurt I’d put there.