Unbroken Rules (Rules 3)

“The real reason I came with you is because I found out my sister’s killer might be here. Yes, I’ve been looking for him. For years, actually, and I never told you.”

Anything he says after that is a blur.

Tears fill my eyes, and my throat starts to hurt so bad I’d rip out my own vocal cords if I could.

I take my lower lip between my teeth in a miserable attempt to stop the tears from pouring down my face. Needless to say, I fail. They say each heart breaks differently. One’s heart might break due to infidelity. Another’s might break when confronted with death. There are a thousand reasons why a heart shatters into a million pieces. But for me…

One recording, a few seconds, one button.

That’s what did the trick.

“He didn’t come for you. He never did. Not so fucking perfect now, is he?” Caleb’s bitter words echo in my brain. It feels like the oxygen in my lungs has been replaced with acid. Like I’m breathing something toxic.

Each breath feels like death.

It’s like I’m breathing heartbreak.

The pieces of the puzzle assemble themselves in my head. His weird behavior, the shady motel address in his pocket, the random phone call at the airport. How he suddenly changed his mind on a whim. I was a mess, begging him to come with me. To fight for us. When he ran up to me, whisked me into his arms, granted my wish, I thought I was dreaming…

God, I’m such a fucking idiot.

It was a lie.

All of it.

All along.

“Winter, wait, please. Just listen to me…” He tries to grab my hand again, but I yank it away. “I never meant to keep it from you. I wanted… I wanted to tell you so many times, I swear.”

“You lied to me for months?” My voice breaks. It’s so weak, so tiny, almost nonexistent. Exactly the way he made me feel.

When he doesn’t deny it, it becomes real.

It dawns on me. It’s true.

He made me believe that he was giving up his entire life for me. That he loved me so much he was willing to leave his home. I straight up asked him if he was lying to me, and he looked me dead in the eyes and lied some more. He let me make that bullshit promise about being honest with each other while he knew…

I think I’m going to be sick.

I back away without realizing, and Haze matches my every step. I need to get out of here.

“Winter, you don’t understand. I was trying to protect you. I…” he says with teary eyes.

I can’t find it in myself to listen to a single word he says. Anticipating my every move, he walks slowly like he’s afraid he might scare me off. Like he’s afraid if he so much as blinks, I’ll disappear forever. I glance around the room. At Kendrick, Allie, Caleb. Waze. The pity in everybody’s gaze crucifies me.

I lose it.

For the second time today, I start to cry. But the difference is, these tears aren’t tears of joy. Acting on impulse, I run to the bedroom and throw the suitcase I keep in the closest on my bed. I start filling it up with the first clothes I can find—dirty clothes, clean clothes, I don’t even care to check.

“Winter, please.” Agony laces his tone. “Don’t do this. I’m begging you.”

The second his hand approaches me, I snap. “Don’t touch me.”

I can barely see him through the tears.

“There’s so much you don’t know. Let me explain.” He tries to grab my wrist again, but my hands fly up to his chest and push him away. I’m packing so fast it’s hard for him to keep up. Hell, it’s hard for me to keep up. I must have like three decent outfits in there, but it’ll have to do. I get my toothbrush in the bathroom and dash down the hall while he chases after me. Caleb is gone. Looks like he did what he came here to do, destroyed what he needed to destroy, and took off.

“What can I say to make this right? Tell me. Tell me what to do, please,” he begs.