Prologue
The blood rushed through my ears as I sprinted through the hallway and down the stairs, hearing Sesshomaru's frantic footsteps behind mine.
"Izumi, wait! Please, stop!" he yelled, but I ignored him.
"Leave me alone!" I screamed back, my voice hoarse with the effort as tears fell onto my dress.
All this time, he had been lying to me.
Sesshomaru knew everything and didn't bother to tell me.
That night at his family's house, I thought it had been just that; a quiet, peaceful, "welcome to the family" get-together, but it was all just a ploy.
He never actually loved me.
He was just using me to get what he wanted.
"Sesshomaru isn't one to fall for anyone. He doesn't care about you. Whatever you think this is, I can promise you it isn't love. Every relationship with him, personal or not, is just a business deal, and it always will be. Don't try to make this into something it isn't," Kagura's words from the cafe returned, causing more tears to gather in the corners of my eyes as I realized I had done exactly what she had warned me against.
I thought he had cared for me.
Every gentle touch, every passionate word, every starry-eyed look he gave me had been a lie.
I raced out the front door, a sob catching in my throat. The rain had begun, drenching me from head to toe as the limo drove up to the entrance of the mansion. Sesshomaru was standing behind me, his breath ragged and sharp as he tried to catch his breath. My hands were on the door handle, shaking as the chill set in through my thoroughly soaked dress.
"Go inside, Sesshomaru," I said shakily, watching his reflection through the window. His once pristine suit was soaked through, his hair plastered to his face as he made his way towards me, his eyes filled with desperation, pain, and something else I couldn't identify. When he was only a few feet away he stopped, looking at me pleadingly.
"Izumi, please, just let me explain-" he started to say, but I shook my head, anger pooling in my chest as I whipped around, narrowing my eyes at him.
"Explain what, Sesshomaru? How you lied to me for a whole year about loving me? How you went behind my back and ruined my friendship with Kikyo, all because of a stupid rumor? How you deliberately made a business deal with Kirinmaru without telling me that could threaten everything I worked so hard for? Tell me, Sesshomaru, what else is there to tell me that I don't already know?" I screamed, tears racing down my cheeks, and Sesshomaru stepped back, shock written on his features.
"We're done," I told him, stepping inside the limo and closing the door, making eye contact with Sesshomaru as the car drove away. The sight of grief in his usually emotionless golden eyes made my heart clench painfully, but I turned away, watching the lights of the Taishou mansion fade away.
"Lady Izumi, are you alright?" Midori asked me after a while, his concerned emerald eyes locking with mine, and I nodded, resting my head against the window.
As I watched the lights of the city drift by, I let my mind drift, closing my eyes against the tears that threatened to fall.
Why did I ever let it get this far?