Everything he’d wanted and couldn’t have, stared him right in the face. Mocked him. He’d been so damn sure they could make things work, and now he had to let her go. That hurt a hell of a lot more than it should have, which only pissed him off more.

“I’m busy,” he said through clenched teeth. “Make it quick.”

She shut the door behind her but didn’t come inside the office more than necessary. She clutched the knob, shifting on her feet. “Are you okay?”

“No,” he bit out. “I’m not fucking okay. Now isn’t a good time.”

She blinked, clearly taken aback at him snapping her head off. “Oh. Sorry.”

When she didn’t speak any more, he gestured for her to get on with it. He was being an ass, but he couldn’t seem to stop. He was going to lose her because of something his father did—and that pissed him the hell off. It might not be her fault, but right now, it felt like it was. “Well? What did you want?”

She hesitated, and he wanted to scream at her to get the hell out before he said or did something he’d regret, but he didn’t make a sound. He just sat there like a fucking fool. “I have to…I mean…I had a question. My parents got bad news today, and…well, uh, I—”

Something inside of him exploded, and there was no stopping the flow of words once they came. He’d just found out he was all but trapped in an arranged marriage he didn’t want, and she couldn’t get a damn sentence out? “Jesus Christ. Spit it the fuck out. I don’t have all damn day to sit here while you get up the nerve to speak.”

Her jaw dropped. “What’s your problem? Forget it. I don’t want your help anymore.”

“Great. Just fucking great.”

“Screw you.” Turning her back on him, she fumbled with the doorknob, but her hands trembled too badly to turn it. “Come on, you stupid door.”

He shoved his chair back and stalked across the room to her. She finally managed to get it open, but he thumped a hand on the wood, shutting it with a loud bang. “What. Did. You. Want?”

She spun, her back against the door. “N-Nothing. Forget it.”

“Maggie.” He gritted his teeth together, trying to get a hold on his temper. It wasn’t her fault his world was falling apart. She didn’t do anything wrong, and he shouldn’t be snarling in her face like the beast he was. “Just tell me.”

“I—I’m leaving.”

A knife of pain sliced through his chest. Out of all the things he expected her to say, this was pretty much at the bottom of the list. “Where are you going?”

“Home. I have to—” She cut herself off, pressing her lips together. “I mean, I quit. I can’t be your researcher, or your fiancée, or…your anything.”

What the hell was going on today?

He’d been trying to find a way to tell her the same thing, that he couldn’t be her anything, but now that he faced it, he couldn’t lose her. “What happened? What’s changed?”

“Everything’s changed. I—I have to go.”

“Tell me why, damn it.” He backed her against the door even more, refusing to budge. Not till he had some sort of answer. “Why are you leaving me?”

“Stop yelling at me,” she snapped, her face pale. “Let me go. I want to go.”

Funny. He hadn’t even realized he’d raised his voice.

“Damn it. I—I need you. Need this. You can’t just—” Walk away from me. “I’m sorry I yelled. Please, just—just—” Forgive me.

Unable to put his words into actual words, he slammed his mouth down on hers, trapping her between the door and his chest. He couldn’t just throw her away and act as if she didn’t matter. Marry someone else and forget all about her. He couldn’t do it.

There had to be another way. What they had, it was special. What they had…it was…it was…love. That’s what the wrenching, stabbing pain in his chest was. He loved her, and he didn’t want to lose her. Not when she’d only just shown him how to live.

She shoved his shoulders and twisted herself free. “I said let me go.”

He stumbled back, shock punching him in the gut. “Jesus. What’s—?”

“I have to go home to South Dakota.” She balled her hands and lifted her chin. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m leaving. I have to go pack, or I’ll miss my flight. It’s over. I can’t be your fiancée anymore.”

It was happening. She was leaving him. And she hadn’t even thought twice about it. Or him. While he’d been playing the part of a lovesick fool, she’d been busily planning her departure. Just like that, she’d washed her hands of him. “Wow.”

She tugged on a piece of hair. “I just—you can’t help me out of this. You can’t—it’s not something your money—”

He stiffened. “Money? What the hell does money have to do with—?” He broke off, the pieces of the puzzle forming into one giant ugly-ass picture. His mother had been right all along. He was broke, and she was jumping ship. That didn’t make any sense…and yet, it did. It really fucking did. “My mother already told you, didn’t she?”

She blinked. “Wait, what? I—”

“Never mind, I don’t give a damn what the hell you have to say at this point.” He swept his hand, virtually shooing her away like an unwanted pest. “Get the fuck out of here. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.”

“Benjamin.” Her face paled. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she said softly. “But I have to—”

“—Go. Yeah. I got that loud and clear, Ms. Donovan.” He crossed his arms. “So, go, then. No one’s stopping you, least of all me. You want out? You’re out.”

She grabbed the doorknob, but didn’t turn it. Mumbling, she faced him again. “You’re angry with me. Let me explain—”

Angry? That didn’t even begin to cover what he was feeling.

Betrayed. Gutted. Hurt. Alone. Those words all applied to how he felt.

“I’m not angry. I’m just waiting for you to get the hell out.”

Still, she hesitated. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t have the opportunity to give the proper two weeks’ notice,” she said, her voice low and hesitant. “I hope that won’t affect any references I might need from the company. And I’m sorry if I let you down.”

He was rocking from the pain of her leaving him, just as his mother predicted, because he’d lost his money, and she was worried about her references? Well, fuck that. And fuck her. This is what happened when you let someone in. They hurt you. She’d been right. Trust was a weapon, and she stabbed him in the back without a second thought. “I don’t give a damn about any of that. If you’re going, go. I don’t care.”

She nodded, her lower lip trembling. She bit down on it hard.

He walked back to his desk, not even looking back at her as she left. There was no point. It was over, and she didn’t give a damn. So neither would he. The door shut behind her, and he bent over his desk, gripping the edge so tightly it was amazing he didn’t break the wood. He wished he had, because damn it all to hell, he wanted to break shit.

Lots of it.

Shoving the papers off his desk, he picked up the hockey puck because it reminded him of her, and chucked that across the room, too. It bounced off the wall and fell to the floor without breaking anything. He couldn’t even do that right. “Son of a fucking bitch.”

The door opened again, and he growled. What the hell was this, Grand Central Station? Elizabeth poked her blonde head in, looking scared of him.

Good. She should be.

“Is this a bad time?”

Yes. “No.”

She walked in and shut the door behind her, taking in the mess he’d made. “I gather your mother told you I’d be coming by.”

“Yeah.” He walked over to the scotch on the bar, opened the bottle, and raised it to his mouth. No point in even bothering with a glass. He’d need the whole bottle to get through this. “We’re supposed to get married and live happily ever after now, because my mother says we have to. That sound about right?”

She played with the leather straps on her pink purse. “Well…yeah. Basically.”