My legs started to feel weak. “She left me.”
Regina’s eyes widened in shock.
“What? That’s impossible. She loves you.”
Slowly shaking my head, I whispered, “She left me.”
The bottle of Jack caught my eye, and I grabbed it and started drinking.
“Finn. Please don’t do this.”
Paul walked up to me and tried to take the bottle from me. I looked directly into his eyes. “I can’t. I can’t live without her.” He nodded and turned to Regina.
“Wes is in town. I have his number. I’ll call him,” Regina said as Paul turned back to me.
“Let’s sit out on the balcony, Finn.”
I finished the bottle of Jack in record time, then moved on to beer, then fell into a stupor. When I came to, Paul was sitting next to me, along with Wes, who’d showed up at some point, unbeknownst to me.
Neither of them said a word, probably realizing that the alcohol had been the only thing that could numb my heart, that the darkness it provided was the only thing that could keep me from feeling, that I needed that darkness now, more than I ever had before in my life.
Chapter 47
Rory
Worst day of my life
I headed into the conference room, with Russell and Robert Long trailing behind me. My body felt numb. When I’d woken up in the hotel this morning, nothing in my life seemed to matter anymore. I felt so out of sorts from being away from my own home, but I knew that would be the first place Finn would come and look for me.
“You need to snap out of it, Rory. I have no idea what is wrong with you,” Russell whispered against my ear.
Glaring back at him, I replied, “I’m fine. Besides, I thought I was only here to sit next to you and look pretty. Wasn’t that what you said?”
He rolled his eyes. “Did you drink too much last night at a Halloween party or something? For Christ’s sake, I was kidding. Believe me, the fact that you blew Casey Long’s testimony out of the water is not lost on me. In your mother’s eyes, you’re the golden lawyer on this one.”
My body shook with anger. I hated Russell. Or maybe I hated myself more than anything else. Regina had sent me a text last night, and it had been haunting me since I’d read it at five-thirty this morning.
Finn is freaking out and tearing up his place. What happened, Rory? Please call me!
The buzzing of my phone caused me to jump. I feared it was Finn, but it was Autumn. Swiping up, I read her text.
Autumn: He was here this morning. I let him in because he didn’t believe you weren’t here. Rory, he begged me to tell him where you were. He was angry and I’m pretty sure drunk.
My heart pounded deafeningly in my chest. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.
Me: You didn’t tell him, did you?
Autumn: No. But I wanted to. Especially when the guy about broke down in tears. His brother Wes…who I might add is sexy as fuck…had to force him to leave. My heart broke for him. You need to tell him the truth, Rory. Let him decide if being a firefighter is worth losing you.
Tears filled my eyes.
Me: I can’t do that to him, Autumn. I won’t make him choose.
Autumn: Rory, you’re making the biggest mistake of your life.
Me: I’ve got to go, in a meeting.
Autumn: Of course. You always were good at two things Rory. Running from your feelings and letting your parents decide how to live your life.