Waking Up (Chloe PoV)

Opening my eyes, I found myself momentarily confused as I tried to figure out where the hell I was. The infirmary? How the hell did I get here?

“Finally up I see.” I resisted a groan, looking over to find the nurse giving me a disapproving look. Of course she was. The woman hated me. Sure, I used her place of work for my work, but I cleaned up after. No reason to get pissy about it. I think she was only sour because she complained to the admins and found them siding with me, brushing it under the rug with so many other skeletons they had hiding there.

I didn’t grace her with a response. Nothing said would change her opinion and was a waste of breath. Sitting up, I swung my legs off the cot and stood. Head held high, there was a strut to my walk as I passed her. Her approval—or lack of it—meant nothing to me. Outside, I paused to check my phone and felt my stomach sink. Last period was almost over. Had I really been out that long? It made no sense. Adam had been my only—

A throbbing in my head caused me to rub my temples. I physically felt like shit despite the euphoria bump keeping my spirits up. Making a beeline to the bathroom, I was thankful it was deserted as I put my bag on the counter and dug around for something to help my headache. A few over-the-counter pills and hopefully I would feel better. Looking at the reflection in the mirror, I looked normal enough. A little tired maybe, but overall in good health. I was even smiling. So why did something inside me feel so wrong?

In the process of setting my bag right, my eyes caught the boxes of condoms. More importantly, what was inside the open one. Pulling out the wad of tissues, I wrinkled my nose and tossed them. Taking a breath, I tried to shake some of this lingering fog that seemed to reside in my mind.

I still couldn’t believe Jake tried to interfere in my work. Adam was one of my oldest customers. He paid well too. Fantastically well. I could always count on him to balloon the cost well beyond asking with all the little extras he wanted. Helped that he was good looking too. When he put in the effort, he was actually an above average lay.

Speaking of money… I checked the money, counting each bill with a smile. A second and third time for good measure. A thrill ran through me as I pocketed it. Not bad for a quickie at lunch.

My thoughts returned to Jake and I found my irritation towards him was still there. A part of me had always been worried about how we would make this work. A relationship with someone like me was… difficult. That worry had fallen away since Jake really didn’t seem to care. I’d been with lots of guys since we started dating and he never reacted like that. Jealousy was not a good look on him.

Was it because it was Adam? Because he was actually faced with the reality that I took money for sex? Jealous that such an amazing guy was about to rock my world? It wasn’t like I was going out with Adam.

A flutter ran through my stomach at that. Oh god. Was I seriously thinking about that? I mean, he was one of the best looking guys at school and was skilled when it came to—

My headache flared, cutting the thought short. I groaned, my hands pressing against the side of my head. Wrong. All wrong. It felt like my mind was twisted in a knot. Glancing back at the mirror, a sheen of sweat covered my skin. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but something was.

Heart hammering, I closed my eyes and focused on untangling my mind. It was a mess, filled with emotions that didn’t make sense. When I focused on a particular feeling—like how I was angry at Jake—the emotion fell apart and my anger dissipated. Fake emotions distorted my perception, crumbling at the slightest scrutiny.

Then I realized what I had done. The things I said to Jake and how I had treated him. The one man who gave a damn about me and I rubbed all this in his face. I felt sick, bending forward to support myself on the counter as I took deep breaths. My chest ached as I held a hand against it. Deep breaths. One after the other.

Adam. That mother—

No, it couldn’t have been him. Adam was a great guy. He cared about people. He cared about me.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed with my mind. More of the mental fog cleared.

Motherfucker. I had picked him over Jake. Chosen to sleep with him... My eyes settled on the reflection. “Because I wanted to,” I whispered.

Guilt and shame hit me like a freight train and all at once the remaining hold he had on me was brushed aside. I knew what he had done. This wasn’t the first time he’d used his Gift on me. He normally did that because he knew I hated his smug ass and would charge him obscene prices if he didn’t sweeten my mood towards him. This though… this was on another level entirely. I never knew he could twist my mind like this. To actually like him enough that I would choose him over Jake.

Oh god. Jake. Things began to connect themselves. Like how I ended up in the infirmary. Adam certainly hadn’t been the one to do that.

That left…

And the tissues…

I fought against tears. My euphoria was a distant element, powerless to stop the loathing and hate I felt for myself. Blaming Adam for this might have been the easy thing to do, but the root cause was me. This was who I was. A whore that exchanged sex for cash. Dress it up, use my Gift as an excuse, it all came back to that. The sizable amount he had paid for me weighed heavily in my pocket. The pride I felt for such a large payday wasn’t something Adam put in me. I felt that.

Pulling in a deep breath through my nose, I released it slowly through my mouth as I wrestled control from my emotions. “Time to wake up, Chloe.” It had been nice living in a dream, but I knew Adam. Today wouldn’t be the last and I refused to let him use me to hurt Jake.

Jake…

The only guy who treated me like a human being. Who cared about _me _and not my Gift. I needed to end this farce we had. Cut him loose before the etches I made on his heart scarred.

Determined, I wiped at my eyes and made sure I was presentable. Grabbing my bag, I headed for the door. I’d find him in the library and tell him we were done. I would set him free.

I froze at the threshold. Leaning against the wall was Jake, hands in his pocket and looking like a badass who cared nothing for the world. But when he looked at me, it was like he was seeing the world.

How—?

His eyes found me as if I had arrived exactly as he predicted. Unmoving my lungs were paralyzed as he straightened to his full height. I had something to tell him. Something I knew needed to happen. Yet the words didn’t come. I couldn’t. Staring at him, my feelings prevented me from letting him go, **** to hold onto the person who brought so much happiness to my life. And I hated myself for it. Hated that I was so selfish, but I couldn’t.

I needed him.

“We need to talk.”

Of course. It seemed Fate would make the decision for me.