Page 79 of Love Me

“Kind of.”

I throw my duffel in the corner, and she says, “I hope you don’t mind not being in the same room with your fiancée. House rules.”

“House rules, huh?”

She has the decency to look away, even though satisfaction courses through me.

Mia clears her throat. “Let’s try to keep confrontation to a minimum.”

“Will you ensure the other two behave as well?”

“Celine and Hunter always do whatever they want, but I will try.”

Anger blares through me.

But I have no moral ground to tell her to stop being with him. Even though my engagement is fake, this will be something none of us can change. But survival comes before mending hearts.

I’d sooner die than give up.

When Mia leaves, I put the few clothes I brought with me into the closet.

The room suddenly feels like it’s caving in on me, trapping me with my thoughts. I need an escape. A stress reliever.

After changing, I go downstairs. All six are gathered in the living room, seated on a curved couch where everyone can fit. A large pizza box lies on a rectangular table. Celine hasn’t even looked at me, but she steals glances at Abigail and her ring—a family heirloom.

A memory crashes into my brain. “It’s yours. Everything in me, everything of mine is yours.”

I slump onto the couch, paralyzed by the bitter aftertaste of my naivete. Every second makes it harder to wrestle my inner demons and win.So I stand up, heading to the front door when Celine stops me.

“Where are you going?”

“Dealing with my shit.”

I am torn between jealousy, imagining her with Hunter, and fucking exhaustion. Passing her by, I walk out. We both need distance. Let’s see who discovers more secrets.

I get inside my car and Abigail hops in. As she buckles up, Celine rushes out of the house and drives away.

“I want to be alone.”

“Yes, well, it’s not as if it makes a difference. I can’t be there right now to witness Mia and Bailey’s attempt at small talk.”

We drive toward the cliff only to find two familiar cars. Parked side by side, they belong to two people who have morphed from our dreams to our nightmares.

“I am going to put a stop to that.”

Abi pushes the door open, but I catch her elbow.

“And then?”

She shakes her head. “He looks so at ease.”

She tilts her head as Celine and Dane talk animatedly.

“You chose me. Regretting it now?” I say.

“To protect him. I would never choose my happiness when I know what’s at stake.”

Jealousy spreads through me like an uncontainable fire watching Celine smile at something Dane tells her.

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