Kai: You’re really not gonna open the door?

I place my hand against the door and peer through the peephole. His hand is against the doorframe while his head is buried in his phone.

Me: Please don’t make this harder than it has to be

Kai: Why does it have to be hard? Just let me in

Me: It’s not worth it

Kai: I’m not worth it?

I slap my hand against my mouth to stop the gasp that threatens to escape. I don’t want to destroy him, but I have to get him to accept this. With a new resolve, I send the message that will seal my fate.

Me: You’re worth more than I can give you. I love you, but the whole baby thing opened my eyes. My heart’s not in it anymore. I don’t want this anymore. Us. I need space to figure this out

The moment I hit send, I place my hand against the door again and check the peephole. I can feel his energy change when he reads my text. His eyes fly up to the door as if he can see right through it, right through me. He looks like he doesn’t even know who I am anymore. He’s not wrong. This new me is a version I can’t stand, but that’s necessary. I just hope when he finds someone who actually deserves him that he looks back on our relationship with joy instead of hate.

His hand graces the door, right where mine sits, and then he walks away. I sink to the floor and let my sobs fall freely.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Kai

“You’re fucking with me, right?”

After her shower, Olivia dressed in a pair of black barely there shorts and a black tank top that clings to her shape. She looks downright edible, and yet I can barely see her past the blinding rage I feel in my soul.

Did she really just tell me that the reason she completely shattered my heart and took off all those years ago was because of her dad?

She looks at me with wide eyes and parted lips, and I’m trying to figure out why she’s shocked. Did she think she was gonna tell me this and shit was gonna be sweet?

“What do you mean?”

I scoff. “What do I mean? I spent years agonizing over what I did wrong. How you fell out of love with me. What I could’ve done differently to get you to stay. Then I finally get you back and I’ve lost countless hours of sleep wondering how I can get you to love me as much as I love you this time and then you tell me that this whole time you were just running scared?”

Now it’s her turn to scoff. “I was trying to protect you.”

“That wasn’t what I needed from you.”