Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
As I left the guest house, the sky almost seemed to sway. To think this had started out like any other morning. I’d gotten up early and watched the sunrise, grateful for the life I was starting to reclaim. Little did I know about the storm brewing just across my driveway.
My chest felt raw. I felt terrible for Primrose, coming all the way here only to find Liv and me in an intimate moment. And I felt even worse for Liv because if there was one thing I knew: I was done telling lies to protect people. I’d learned that the hard way with Primrose.
The only question was when I would tell Liv what the hell was going on. Would I carry on and make breakfast as if my entire world hadn’t just been turned upside down, or would I come clean the second I looked into her eyes?
When I walked in the house, I still didn’t have the answer. The smell of freshly ground coffee, which was normally a pleasant aroma, turned my stomach. When I entered the kitchen, Liv was pouring what she’d just brewed. With her hair tied up in a messy bun and wearing my T-shirt, she was oblivious to what I was about to hit her with. I’d gone for eggs and come back with a hell of a lot more than that.
Liv turned, and the moment she smiled, I felt my heart break. It was a wonder the damn eggs didn’t slip out of my hands and crash to the ground. I was barely conscious of anything besides the fact that I was about to break the heart of the woman who’d been mending mine. The last thing I wanted was to hurt her. But there was no way around this.
Her smile faded. “What happened, Dorian? You took so long. Is something wrong with Benjamin?”
I shook my head and stepped toward her.
Liv tilted her head. “What is it?”
There was no easy way to say it. “Primrose is here.”
Liv’s face went white. One of the first things I’d done when she and I met was unload the past five years onto her. She knew everything, including how broken I’d been when she’d met me, which wasn’t long after Primrose had announced she was moving forward with the wedding. Things with Liv had been platonic before they’d morphed into more. It was the first time I’d allowed that to happen since Primrose, but I’d finally been moving on from her—or trying to. And now everything I’d known had turned on its axis yet again. How many times could I survive my life being upended?
Liv’s voice was shaky, panicked. “Why is she here?”
“She flew in last night. She spent the night in the guest house, planning to talk to me today.”
Liv crossed her arms. “Talk to you about what exactly?”
She had every right to be upset. I swallowed. “She ended her engagement.”
Liv stepped back in shock. “So…she thinks she can just waltz back into your life because things have changed for her?”
“I don’t know,” I muttered.
She examined my face. “Please tell me you’re not going to run right back to her.”
If only I felt I had a choice in the matter. And it certainly wouldn’t be running—more like a cautious walk. The way my heart reacted to Primrose wasn’t something my mind had control of. I couldn’t stand here, though, look Liv in the eyes, and assure her that she and I were safe. My wounds when it came to Primrose had never healed. And now they’d been broken open all over again.
My relationship with Liv had been like a giant Band-Aid, one I had hoped would turn into a cure for my broken heart. Liv was the closest thing I’d ever have to a second chance. Yet I didn’t know if what we’d built was enough to withstand what might transpire with Primrose. Because that Band-Aid? It had just been ripped off.
I cleared my throat. “I’ve promised myself I would be honest with those I care about. Too many have been hurt because of decisions I made in the name of protecting people. I need you to understand that you mean so much to me. But I can’t let her go back to Ohio without seeing this through, whether that means ending things with her once and for all or…” I hesitated.
Liv raised her voice. “Are you telling me you’re going to just forget about everything we’ve built and run back into her arms? A woman who was supposed to be marrying someone else?”
“I’m far from running back to her, Liv. I have no idea whether I can trust her feelings. For all I know, she’ll leave and go back to him the second she lands in Ohio. But what I do know is that it’s not fair for me to stay with you while I’m figuring things out.”