His gaze lifts, locking onto mine, and his next words hit me like a wrecking ball.

“I fell in love with you.”

I stare at him, stunned into silence. My pulse pounds in my ears, drowning out the words that just came out of his mouth.

Love? That’s not what this was.

It was strategy. Control. A game he thought he could win.

He steps closer, searching my eyes. “I love you, Magnolia.”

His throat bobs as he swallows hard, shaking his head like even he can’t believe what’s coming out of his mouth. “I’ve never said those words to a woman before. Not once. But with you, I mean them.”

I stare at him, my heart hammering.

“I said it would be okay for you to think of him if we were together, that I didn’t mind. But I did mind. I was desperate for you to want me.” His eyes burn into mine. “And you did, didn’t you? You wanted me.”

I’m not a liar, and I won’t become one today. “I admit that something was happening between us. But it never would’ve happened if I’d known the truth. All of it was built on lies.”

“I’ll do anything, Mags. Tell me how to fix this, how to fix us.”

“There is no fixing this because there is no us.”

His face twists, and for the first time, I see genuine pain in his expression. Yes, he is a manipulative liar, but I believe his anguish is real.

I take a step back, putting distance between us. “I love Alex. It’ll always be Alex.”

A sharp knock at the door jolts me out of my haze, and my stomach drops.

Shit.

I squeeze my eyes shut for half a second, willing this moment to disappear. Wishing I could erase the last few minutes, hell, the last six months. But I can’t. And there’s no time to think.

I swallow hard and turn toward the door, my pulse hammering as I reach for the knob.

Alex stands on the other side, eyes stormy, chest rising and falling like he’s one breath away from coming apart. His jaw is tight, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“I’m sorry, favorite. I just needed a minute to get my head straight.”

Relief crashes into me like a wave. But before I can respond, he shifts forward—and sees him.

His entire body stiffens, his control snapping like a live wire.

“Alex––” I step in front of him, my hands coming up to his chest in an effort to defuse the explosion I can already feel coming. “Please. Just—just calm down.”

His dark eyes cut to mine, wild and unyielding. He shakes his head. “Don’t ask me to calm down, Magnolia. I’ve been calm for far too long.”