Page 130 of Stolen Moments

“I just… I was trying to get myself out of that situation on my own. I thought that if I could extricate myself from the agreement, my parents … that life, everything would be fine. We could move on and be happy, and the past would be behind me. I had just finished calling off the whole farce with my parents when you showed up. I swear it was never real. The engagement with him was fake from the start. Even his girlfriend knew it was fake.”

She sighs and her voice turns somber, pulling at the thick rope wrapped around my chest.

“There is only one man I love. You. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved and will always love. I swear, everything I told you was the truth. Yes, I kept this secret from you, but I didn’t do it to hurt you. It’s the opposite, actually. I did it to protect you. To protect us. I didn’t want to taint what we had. It was so real … and beautiful. It was everything to me. You are everything to me. I didn’t want you to know how horrible, controlling, and mean my parents truly are. They are the worst kind of people, and I know this is going to sound stupid, but I didn’t want you to know I came from them.

“Iam nothing like them. Nothing. All I ever wanted from you was the love you gifted me. You made me feel love for the first time in … forever. You made me whole again. I felt it from the start but was too scared to admit it, and now it’s too late. I’ve lost you.”

She sniffles, no longer able to hide her tears on the other side of the line, pouring her heart out. My strong girl is breaking, and I did nothing to help. All I did was inflict more pain on her.

“I love you. I know that’s not enough for you to forgive me. I accept that. I just… I guess I wanted you to know how I feel. I hope you find what you’re looking for. I want you to be h-happy, even if it’s not with m-me. I love you. Goodbye, Mason.”

The message ends as Emery’s watery voice evaporates into deafening silence.

Dropping the phone to the floor, I drop my chin to my chest. The way she sounded, so … so vulnerable and broken, shatters me to my very soul.

Standing up, I pace the room, pulling at my hair, my cheeks wet from tears. Regret slices through me, and I double over in pain. Anger burns me from the inside out.

I was so stupid. I did this to her, to us. She might have lied, but I’m the one that broke us, and I hate myself for hurting her. For walking away without a word. For not letting her explain. I should have heard her out. Of course she wasn’t fucking around behind my back. She would never.

She deserved to tell me the full story. I owed her that much, for her and myself. If I hadn’t let my past dictate my future or had been so stubborn, we wouldn’t have lost the last few months.

And now? Now, she’s with someone else.

One look at her with another man, and I saw red. I wanted to smash his fucking teeth in for touching my woman.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

What the fuck did I do?

Panic takes its chokehold on me as my heart rate spikes and my breathing gets choppy. I need to get the hell out of here and get a drink.

Throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, I rush out the door, with a million questions running through my mind and the soul-crushing knowledge that I may have lost Emery forever.

How will she ever forgive me for abandoning her when she needed me?

How can I ever forgive myself for the way I’ve treated her?

Chapter forty-three

Mason

My nose tingles fromthe cold, and the numbness starts to spread to the rest of my appendages. Eyes closed, I burrow into my hoodie, trying to find an ounce of warmth.

I’ve been sitting outside by the fire, drinking and thinking. A deadly combination, and it’s resulted in me sitting here for hours, mentally beating myself up over my choices.

I knew Emery was a selfless person, but I never realized to what extent. The fact that she would sacrifice her happiness for her brother amazes me, and yet I get it. I would do anything for any one of my brothers, and they for me. So, of course, Emery did what she had to do to take care of Chris. He’s her brother, her best friend, and her only family that loves her unconditionally.

The sound of gravel crunching underfoot has my ears perking, but I don’t bother opening my eyes. I knew someone would find me eventually.

“Mason, what the fuck are you doing out here, man?” Eli calls out behind me, his voice breaking the silence I’ve buried myself in.

“Go away,” I mumble, my words slightly slurred. I should open my eyes, but I don’t want to. I’m tired as fuck.

“Shit, are you drunk?”

“Nah,” I slur again.

Wait? Am I drunk? I slowly force my eyes open and regret it instantly. They are gritty and dry, and the morning light burns my retinas, blurring my vision.

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