“Look, you don’t know what we have. You’re seeing it from an outside point of view—”
“I’m seeing it objectively.”
“He’s not the same man, Damien. He didn’t just change because he wants something from you. He’s changed because…he’s changed.” I wanted to tell him what had happened to me, that Heath had rescued me when he could have easily walked away, that the incident more than vindicated him. But if I did…it would hurt Damien beyond repair, to know what had happened to me.
He rolled his eyes.
“You just said how smart I am. Could you please just take a leap of faith for me? Could you please just do this for me? Just try? It would mean—”
“No.” He slid his hands back into his pockets. “Heath and I have a long history. He’s walked into my office so many times and made me feel like his bitch. This hatred runs deep in my veins for many reasons, not just one. You’re asking me to forget all of that.”
“No, I’m asking you to forgive all of that. Just try—”
“No!.” Now his eyes were wide, matching the loud sound of his voice. He ended the conversation when he unleashed his rage.
The words left my throat.
“You have no idea how hard it was for me to drop my vendetta.” He lowered his head and stared at the floor for a while before he looked at me again. “How hard it was for me not to avenge my father, the woman I’m marrying…but I did it for you. Because I love you. Because I don’t want to hurt you by hurting him. That’s the most I can give, so don’t ask for more.”SevenHeathI sat on the couch for hours, in the dark, staring out the window at the city beyond. My back leaned into the cushions, and I rubbed my fingers across my temple, trying to numb the gentle pulse that would soon become a headache. All I had to do was take a couple pills, but that seemed like too much work right now.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the exchange that just happened, the way Damien had ordered me away, treating me like a stray dog no one wanted to adopt.
I was scared.
I was scared of what Damien would say to Catalina.
That he would convince her to leave me.
It’d been hours, and she hadn’t called. She hadn’t texted me.
She was already on the fence, hardly agreeing to stay until I talked her into it, so if her brother was that furious by my presence in a public place…I could only imagine what he said to her behind closed doors.
That he would never stop hating me.
And then she would leave…and rip my heart out of my chest.
When midnight arrived, I was certain Catalina wasn’t with her brother anymore, so I called.
It rang…until the voice mail picked up.
“Fuck.”
I texted her. Baby.
No response.
Why did I go to her show tonight? Why didn’t I pay attention to my surroundings? Why didn’t I treat this situation with the delicateness it deserved?
Fuck.
I texted her again. Answer me. Or I’m coming over.
The three dots appeared right away.
But then they disappeared and never came back.
This was bad. I already knew what I had to face when I got there.
It almost made me not go at all.When I walked in the door, she was on the couch, her cheeks puffy because she’d been crying. Her eyes were red, her olive skin was flushed and blotchy because the tears must have lasted for a while.
This torture was worse than the beating Damien had given me.
Because this killed my soul.
She didn’t look at me, her knees to her chest with a blanket draped over her, her arms wrapped around her legs. She was completely closed off from me before I even walked in the door.
I moved to the couch, watching her not look at me. I sat on the couch beside her, staring at the side of her face, observing her look at the other wall of the living room instead of me.
I’d already lost her.
“Baby.” I took a deep breath as I felt her slip away, felt her move further and further into the distance, felt her soul fight against the rope that bound us together months ago.
Nothing.
“Give it time,” I whispered to her, wishing she would turn and look at me, that she wouldn’t give me the cold shoulder like this when we’d just been a forest fire hours ago. “The wound is still too fresh right now. I will fix this, but you need to give me a chance. Don’t pull the plug yet.”
When she spoke, her voice was defeated. “He’s not going to change his mind…”
“Right now.”
“Ever.”
My heart was beating so fucking hard right now. “Don’t give up on me. Don’t give up on us.”
Her arms tightened around her legs. “Please don’t make this harder for me…”