Page 71 of Love Me

“You’re not a failure. I am your weak spot like you’re mine. Plus, I had eyes on you more than anyone else.”

“Stalking me? Really?”

“What else can I do when you won’t talk to me?”

“Still.”

“Answer me just this one question: Are you here for us or for them?”

“For them.”

He kisses my temple and caresses my stomach. It’s sweet, it’s everything––it’s a lie.

“You should go back to Abigail.”

“I’m right where I want to be. Where I belong.”

He kisses my neck, then my shoulder. It would be so easy to get lost in him, and this lovely dream. But reality always returns with a vengeance, and I don’t know how much my heart can take of these wonderful highs and crushing lows.

“Stop.”

He turns me to him and says, “Let me take you somewhere else.”

“That’s not a good idea.”

“Don’t you want me?”

His deep blue eyes seek mine. Raw emotion flickers in them, and I caress his cheek. I doubt the day will ever come when I wouldn’t want him.

“We can’t fix what’s broken, Kaden.”

I kiss the corner of his mouth, and he wraps his arms around me. In the cocoon of his embrace, I fall asleep.

When I wake up, he’s gone. The indentation of his body next to me on the bed, his scent and warmth linger like a ghost––a shadow of my past forever trapping me, making it impossible to move on. One second, it’s war; the next, we’re calling a truce, only to start all over again––a perpetual hellish cycle sprinkled with bits of heaven in between.

I spend the day in the house, looking at photo albums and trying to remember.

In vain.

Walking through the dense forest, inhaling the fresh scent of leaves and pine, my feet carry me toward our place. I come to an abrupt stop. My hand flies to my mouth. My knees weaken when I see the cabin in shambles. I run to it, but there is nothing left except glass and wood scattered around––the debris, a pretty good analogy to our love. Who did this?

As if my mind conjured him, Kaden appears next to me.

“I did this.”

I whip my head to him, pointing at the ruins. “Why?”

He shoves his balled hands into his pockets, and then he lifts his face, his eyes on the only cloud in the sky. “I want to tell you everything. Then I remember I can’t trust you. Until I know for sure, I prefer you to hate me, to think I am the monster who didn’t love you. When you’re ready to confess, I will be too.”

I am numb as I run back to the house, crushing leaves and branches under my shoes, reminding myself that love is not why I came back. Revenge is.

I get ready for tonight’s gala, putting on my dress and makeup. I choose an elegant blue satin dress. The A-line maxi gown is floor-length with a sexy thigh split and cowl neckline tied at the shoulder with thin straps. A flowing skirt reveals the perfect amount of skin, giving me the boost of confidence I need. Wearing my favorite color infuses the strength I need to play my role. I style my hair in loose curls and slip into my silver sandals.

I look in the mirror once more. “You got this.”

Parking in front of Grandmother’s driveway, a tap on my window has me lifting my chin. I climb out of the car, and Hunter takes me in.

“Looking good, all things considered.”

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