I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Emery’s POV

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I had dreamt about this moment. Fantasized it. Rehearsed it in my head a thousand different ways. Hell, I’d probably hallucinated it once or twice when I was half-asleep and pathetic.

Seeing Atlas again.

In my version, he’d either yell at me. Or smile like nothing happened. Or look at me like he used to…soft and steady and

sure.

But what he actually did?

He acted like I didn’t exist.

And yeah… maybe I deserved that. Maybe I deserved a drink thrown in my face. Maybe I deserved worse.

But it still hurt. It hurt like hell.

“Hey, beautiful.”

Of course.

Karl. The man had a PhD in bad timing. I was tucked away at the bar, shoulders hunched, nursing a drink like it had personally offended me. My mascara probably wasn’t running, but emotionally? I was a disaster.

Could he not read the room? I was practically glowing with leave me alone energy.

I ignored him and took a long, reckless gulp of my drink. It burned all the way down, and I welcomed it. Maybe whatever they mixed in here could numb the ache clawing at my chest.

“You know like I was saying earlier before you ran away. So I’m in Bali, right, and…”

“Karl,” I cut him off, my voice low but sharp. I turned slowly, blinking at him through the alcohol haze. “I’m begging you, in the name of everything beautiful, please just fucking leave me alone.”

His smirk faltered for half a second.

“I can never be with you, okay?” I continued, words tumbling out messy and unfiltered. “I wouldn’t even have sex with you if you were the last man standing. Why? Because I messed up. And apparently I’m still stuck on my past.”

Karl stared at me. For a split second, and then I felt a tiny flicker of guilt…had I been too harsh?

But the guilt dissolved caused this…man actually laughed.

“I see what you’re doing.” he said, wiping a stupid invisible tear. Playing hard to get. Let’s see how long this little game goes on, before you finally become mine…”

I actually groaned out loud.

“I promise you,” I muttered, sliding off the barstool. “there is no game. You just don’t speak fluent no

I swayed as I stood, the room tilting slightly. A waitress passed with a tray of champagne, and I did the honorable thing. grabbed two flutes. Because why not get wasted, right?

After what felt like my third drink, okay, fine, more like my sixth I finally realized I was past my hat and needed to get out of this after party before I made a bigger mess of myself. But he was the thing. Thanks to my amazing relationship advice.

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Chapter 134

like I was some kind of couple’s therapist, I had told Tom to head home early with the cute Missy Which meant I was wasted… and alone.

Great

I stumbled outside the building, squinting down at my phone as tried to order a ride.

Was I even on the Uber app?

I started laughing under my breath, the sound pathetic and shaky. “God, I look so stupid.

And why was it so freaking cold?

And why..why did my stupid heart still hurt?

I sucked in a breath, trying to steady myself, and took a step forward because standing outside looking wasted as fuck wasn’t going to magically teleport me into my bed.

Bad idea.

My heel caught. My body pitched forward. And in that split second, my brain registered the worst possible thing:

Madame Colette is going to see this. Oh, she was going to have the best night of her life. Maybe take a picture and have it framed on her wall. Dammit!

I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact, waiting for the laughter. But here’s the thing, it didn’t come. Instead, my heart slammed against my ribs. Strong arms caught me. Wrapped around me. And like my body knew before my mind even did, I

leaned into him.

Are you okay?”

That voice. So close. So deep. So…. him.

I kept my eyes closed for half a second longer, like if I opened them, it would break whatever spell this was. Then reality slapped me. I jerked back, grateful I didn’t land on my butt, and my eyes flew open.

Gray eyes. Beautiful, familiar gray eyes.

Atlas.

“W-what are you doing here?” I blurted, adjusting my dress like that would save me from looking as stupid as I felt.

“You’re drunk,” he said, like I didn’t know that.

And before I could stop myself, I said exactly how I felt. “Yeah, and you’re an asshole.”

His brow shot up, clearly caught off guard.

“Sorry,” I muttered, swaying a little. “Or not sorry… I don’t know, god, I feel dizzy”

I let out a short laugh, bitter and maybe a little bitchy. “Wait… why are you talking to me?” I asked. “I thought you had two idea who I was. Or what, your amnesia’s gone?”

Gosh. Drunk me equaled bitchy. I bit my lip, bracing for him to ell. Or better yet, to walk away and leave my cold ass right here… But he didn’t.

Instead… he smiled…HE SMILED

A small, quiet smile, like he couldn’t help it.

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Chapter 134

And that made my stomach flip because he should be mad. He should be furious.

“Why are you smiling?” I demanded, voice wobbling slightly. “Tat’s not stop doing that”

He stepped closer. So close, my heartbeat tripped over itself. I gped, trying to hold his gaze like I wasn’t falling apart from

the inside out.

“You haven’t changed,” he said softly.

“W-what?” My voice came out smaller than I meant it to.

His eyes stayed on mine.

Then he shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders, hands brushing my arms as he adjusted it gentle, careful, like he’d done it a thousand times before.

Warmth spread over my skin. His scent hit me. And my throat htened so fast it almost hurt. I stared up at him, blinking hard, chest rising too quickly, but then I pushed it away, putting on a mask to hide the battle of emotions I had been fighting the moment I laid my eyes on him.

I scoffed. “Oh, I’ve changed a lot.”

Atlas gave me that crooked little smile of his, the one that used take you home.”

melt me into a puddle( PS still did.) “C’mon. Let’s go, I’ll

“No.”

God, I wanted to say yes. I was practically screaming it internally Shameless. Weak. Down bad.

But my mouth said, “I can… handle myself,” even as my stomach turned and I swallowed hard, fighting back the urge to barf right on his expensive shoes.

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly like he could see right through my bullshit. “Nah, you can’t,” he said, voice low and steady, the kind of calm that made arguing feel pointless. “And if you honestly think I’m gonna walk away and leave you messed up like this, then you’ve got me all wrong.”

The way he said it, calm but firm, made my chest feel tight in a tally unfair way.

He didn’t blink. Didn’t smirk. Just held my gaze like he was dari me to lie to him again. My fingers curled around the edge of his jacket like I needed something to hold onto, and then I fell it…Heat, sharp, sudden, embarrassing heat, pooled low in my belly and slid downward. Shit. Was I really getting turned on right now?

No. Absolutely not.

Great, my drunk brain had my body malfunctioning.

Before I could say something incredibly stupid, Karl appeared out of nowhere like an unwanted pop-up ad. And I should’ve been pissed, but honestly? I was grateful. He saved me from embarrassing myself.

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