Free This Round I'm Yours by Clarise Tan, Marian Tee, The Passionate Proofreader Page B

would have if Silver hadn’t noticed the way Lace’s fists were clenched against her sides. So fucking tightly her knuckles had become white, so fucking tightly it was as if she was doing her best not to get the guy off her as well.
    When the guy pulled away, he appeared surprised Silver was still there. “You’re still here? Are you a masochist or something?”
    Silver didn’t even bother looking at the other guy, his gaze on Lace completely. He needed to hear her speak, needed to see her eyes to be sure. “Wyndham.”  
    But she didn’t look at him, didn’t say a thing.
    “I won’t leave until you tell it to my face that you want me to go one last—”
    Her head whipped towards him, her voice shrill. “ I want you to go . Is that clear enough for you?”
    Slowly, he nodded.
    It was.
    The whole time she had been speaking, she had been crying in her heart. The whole time she had been speaking, her eyes had said a different thing.
    Help me.
    Help me.  
    Help me.
    Silver’s face hardened.  
    In front of him, a cry escaped Lace, and he knew she thought he believed every damn lie she had uttered.
    Seeing her in so much pain nearly sent him in a rage, but he sought for control, knowing that he had to think things through. Lace was not a weak person, and if she was being made to do something against her will, it had to be something extremely bad.
    Looking at Lace again, he said quietly, “I get it now.”
    He hoped she would understand, but when he turned around and slowly walked away, he knew she hadn’t, knew with the way she cried and started screaming after him.
    “Go! You think I care? Go and never come back!”
    That was what she was screaming, but Silver’s love for her made him hear something completely different.  
    Don’t leave me. Please. Come back. Please.
    Even so, Silver forced himself to continue walking, and it was the hardest thing he had done in his life.
    When he reached the dorm’s lobby, he almost staggered to a stop, Silver needing to lean against the wall as his body nearly gave up on him. Even now, he could hear Lace crying inside his mind, and he knew it wasn’t his imagination.
    Stupid little lamb.
    Brave little lamb.
    Taking a deep breath, he made a call to Derek Christopoulos, the son of the university’s founder and chairman. When the other man answered, Silver didn’t mince words, knowing he had no time. “I have a favor to ask.”  
    ****
    “Is he gone?” Alfred asked curtly the moment the door closed behind Lace and Grant.
    “Yeah. Probably went somewhere to lick his wounds after Lacey baby broke his heart into tiny pieces.” Grant laughed and even looked at Lace, as if wanting her to share in his happiness.
    Alfred smirked. “Guess that makes you an even better actress than I thought.”
    Lace worked hard to keep her face expressionless, knowing it was better they didn’t find out how much she wanted to kill them. Her fury was the only thing that kept her moving, thinking. Everything else was dead, everything losing its meaning the moment she had seen Silver’s face harden.
    Lace bit her lip hard enough to taste blood. It was the only way to keep herself from crying.
    Even now, she didn’t have to close her eyes to remember Silver’s face when he saw Grant coming out of her room.  
    Of course he’d believe she was playing around , she thought painfully. After what Drew had told her, she could see why it would be so damn easy for him to think that way.
    Alfred checked his watch. “You should probably go now. You’ve got a big game tomorrow. I’ll stay here and make sure your girl keeps her mouth shut.”
    Grant hesitated. “I could probably stay here…”
    Alfred laughed. “Relax. I promise I won’t do a thing to your girl. She’s all yours, my boy.”
    Grant’s gaze slid to Lace.
    Bitterness rose inside Lace, but she knew whatever she said wouldn’t make Grant suddenly change his mind about the whole thing. Grant wasn’t just sick and obssessed. The