I Owe Her Nothing More Chapter 2

Nancy said smugly, "See, Austin? I told you he'd do whatever I asked. That big deal he was supposed to close? He pushed the meeting back the second I told him to."

Austin Burns was my rival. His voice came through the phone, full of contempt.

"Pushing it back one day isn't enough. You need to make sure he misses the deal completely."

Then, as if he realized he had come on too strong, his tone softened.

"Please, Nancy. I need your help.

"If I can close the deal with Apex Holdings, Bradley won't be able to look down on me anymore. And he won't have an excuse to keep trying to break us up.

"So just keep him busy for the next two days. Do it for us."

I didn't bother listening to the rest. I turned around and walked away.

The next day, I kept my word and took Nancy to Bellamy.

I spent most of the meal answering emails, so I didn't pay much attention to what she ordered. It wasn't until the dishes started arriving that I realized she had ordered almost nothing but seafood.

"Bradley, this place is known for its seafood. You have to try some."

I looked at the girl I had spoiled for the past four years, and whatever patience I had left disappeared.

Nancy knew I was allergic to seafood. A severe reaction could even send me into shock.

But just to help Austin steal the Apex deal, she was willing to hurt me without a second thought.

"You go ahead," I said coldly. "I'm not hungry."

Disappointment flashed across Nancy's face, but she seemed to realize that pushing any harder would make her motives too obvious. She dropped it and ate on her own.

The rest of the meal was dull and joyless. After we left the restaurant and started crossing the street, Nancy glanced at the traffic and suddenly perked up.

She lightly tugged on my sleeve.

"Bradley, you barely ate anything. Why don't we go to that Michelin-starred place across the street so you can get something else?"

I was about to look up and see which restaurant she meant when a powerful shove hit me from behind.

I lost my balance before I could react. The next second, my chest slammed into the hard hood of a car, and the impact sent me flying into the air. Through the blur, I saw Nancy's face go white.

She ran over the second I hit the ground, already crying.

"Bradley, I'm sorry! I only wanted you to get into a minor accident so you'd miss the meeting. I didn't think you'd actually get hurt! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Nancy's voice faded farther and farther away. In the last moment before I blacked out, I wasn't thinking about her.

I was thinking about Claudia.

Years ago, one of my competitors set me up and had me shoved into traffic in almost exactly the same way. Claudia shoved me out of the way at the last second.

That was the day I promised her I would take care of Nancy.

Clearly, I had done a terrible job.

-

When I woke up, the sharp smell of antiseptic hit me first.

I forced my eyes open. My vision was still blurry, but I could make out a familiar figure sitting beside the bed. The shape of her face, her eyes, everything about her looked so much like Claudia.

Was it really her?

"I miss you so much..." I murmured before I could stop myself.

Nancy sat stiffly beside the bed, clearly nervous about how I would react when I woke up. But the second she heard me say that, she relaxed.

She seemed convinced I loved her too much to ever hold her accountable.

Her usual attitude came right back. She reached over and rested her hand on mine like she was doing me a favor.

"I'm here."

The sound of her voice snapped me out of it. The woman beside me wasn't Claudia.

I pulled my hand away immediately.

Nancy froze, then frowned when she realized I was fully awake.

"What's your problem?

"I only gave you a little push as a joke. You weren't even seriously hurt. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?"

I ignored her and looked toward the window. I looked at the sky outside, suddenly anxious.

"Where's my phone?"