#Chapter 33: The Aftermath
Abby

Karl walks into the kitchen, and I force myself not to look at him as he strides over. I’m almost done

prepping food for the line cooks, and I don’t have time to get into it with him. There’s only so much

stress one person can handle before they go crazy, and I’m reaching my limit.

We’re booked out again, and one of my waiters called in sick, making us even more understaffed than

usual. If not, I probably would have told Karl to just go home. I need to repost my ad sometime soon.

There must be people out there who want to work in the kitchen, even as a dishwasher. I don’t know if I

can keep working with him after everything.

He stops at my station and hovers for a moment. I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t. I slide

the pile of carrots off the edge of the blade and give him an arch look. “What do you want, Karl?” “Can

we talk for a moment?”

“No. I’m busy.” I don’t have time to deal with Karl and his b ullsh it.

“We can talk here if it’s easier,” he says.

He knows that’s not going to happen. John is standing two feet away, not to mention Daisy and Freddy

chatting in the corner with Jack. The last thing I need is for everyone to find out we used to be married,

or that Karl is an Alpha.

“Fine,” I snap, putting down the knife. “But I don’t have a lot of time.”

He follows me into my office, closing the door behind him. I turn to face him and cross my arms over

my chest. I can’t imagine what he plans to accomplish in the next few minutes. Continuing our

argument from last night isn’t going to get him anywhere.

He must read those thoughts on my face because he puts his hands up. “I don’t want to argue, Abby. I

just want to talk.”“I have nothing to say to you.”

He takes a step forward but stops when I narrow my eyes. “Please, Abby. You have to know I didn’t

mean to hurt you.”

“Well, if you didn’t mean to, then it must be alright.”

He runs his fingers through his hair, looking slightly flustered. It’s probably the first time I’ve seen him

like this, but I’m too angry to care.

“I can’t believe you didn’t even trust me enough to talk to me about it,” I say.

“Abby–”

I cut him off before he can continue. If he’s going to force me to talk, then I might as well get this off my

chest. “I trusted you. I never would have done something like that to you, but you were so quick to

believe it, anyway. How could you?” My voice breaks a little at the end, and I close my mouth before I

any more trouble. I don’t want him to know how

takes a step closer. “I

I

visibly winces.

maybe the first time he’s ever really apologized to me for anything, but

us. “I’m sorry I ever trusted you

into my space. I take a step back,

to go. “Don’t say that!”

warm breath on my cheek. I clench my jaw and

me alone, Karl. You’re only making

“Abby–”

mostly say it because of how he reacted

it’s really what

I know is that I’m angry, and hurt, and I feel betrayed and disgusted. Maybe I

least a little.

broad hands around my arms before I have the chance to slip away. “Look

his voice makes my spine straighten. I don’t want it to,

might hate it, but he’s still the

my chin and meet his piercing gaze. He squeezes my arms, not enough to hurt, but enough

my attention.

get that you’re angry,” he says. “You can be as mad

I move even slightly, my lips will brush his. I

thought that maybe I wouldn’t

you do,” I

long as you want. But don’t ever say that you hate

to mine, and I tense even further. “Please,

could force him to move, but something stops me. The sort of

I can think straight again. I squeeze my eyes shut,

“Karl, I…”

a loud knock on the door behind us. Karl pulls away, turning from me.

across my cheek and

“Yes?” I call.

your fiancé is asking for

give Karl one last look, but he can’t seem to meet my

pulls into a parking space

silence. “We should talk about what happened

night.”

of my purse, not wanting to

earlier. “Yeah, we

the first time we had

would snowball into this major thing. Maybe

down with Karl, I’m even more certain that Adam

I just hope

that. It was an immature thing to do,” he says. I

realize maybe I overreacted. I

me.”

gives me a sideways glance but looks away

and he’s tapping his fingers along his

“Sensitive in what way?”

she told me it was because

So, when you asked if

were about to do the same

wasn’t going to break up with you,” I say, placing a hand on his arm.

I wanted to do was hurt his feelings. “I wasn’t

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