Walk Away, Darling: Leaving The Billionaire Behind

, Then I Stop

Pittman's secret girlfriend and unpaid housekeep

exam to pick up his dry cleaning. I ref

arity gala with an heiress on his arm, looki

you apologize now for being so willful last month,

e way I always had. I put my phone on

gger, he looked me straight in the eye and, to protect his fr

hman year. I only let her do my laundry becaus

us out of sight. I had loved him with everything I had

cry. I di

their faces, and walked straight onto a midnight flight to

pte

erbert

ment. He told everyone he hated exposing his private life to the spotlight, while I cooked his meal

refused to skip a final exam to pick up his dry cleaning. And now here he was, Sher

ven spare m

, he casually handed his gold card to the auctione

zzed inside

our punishment. If you apologize now for being so willful l

first time in four years, no suf

n't r

it back in my bag, and lifted my

golden boy of

ate downtown, and the family name was carved

olarship. My father was serving time in federal prison.

t above a bakery, working two jobs day and ni

he died, Av

murmured against my ear that he would protect me for the

t him keep me as his shameful little secret, and

You deaf o

rs, squeezed past the high bar, his bee

now if anyone's s

turned to look at me, faces bright with

ing as Avery, but to them I was nothing but a fre

very was leaning ag

lted up in a coy laugh, her blond h

the board of Avery

e was wearing probably cost more

apel, "you promised we'd go to the yacht club

soft smile and tapped the tip of

rry. You know I can ne

teasing whistles er

y finally found himself a girl from his own world. Some peop

sorority laughed into

ay dog begging for scraps makes me cringe for her.

the table b

ry lit up the screen:

pped my father's business partners are. Wait by the s

om the screen an

d, Avery's eyes crash

rd line, the look he wore whenever

p my eyes like I alway

hiver in the back alley in the biting wind until he d

I di

hree full seconds, then picked up the free glass of i

aned into Avery's chest and narrowed her

across the whole corner. "The one who always wears those washed-out sneakers? Ave

eared hi

sed his face, but he didn'

ever

, his voice carrying clear over the music. "She takes everything

licious laught

st a study group. Run along before p

in my throat, hidden in the women's restroom, an

ong, desperate messages asking why he

othing inside me but

d found the small brass

ietly after the gala, but this ridiculo

straight

the chatter aro

ed back, her manicured han

ickered in A

ely moved; the warning came

wo steps aw

look at

t Avery's hands

id calmly, and set the brass key on the pol

ared at

slid off his face; h

ink you're doing?" he de

at belongs to

the key and Avery's face. H

she have a key to

mered, his fingers scrambling for the

pering behind their hands, pushed open the heavy doubl

in my pock

n

ic

here. Right now. If you walk out tonight, don'

e the hall and opened my email. The

Stanford University Graduate Fellowship in Economics. The fellowship covers full

ped r

l be in Califo

ned off my mobile data, and w