Page 67 of Pretty Obsessed

"What?"

"I don't want to do this anymore, River." His words were barely audible, laced with sadness.

They broke my heart, not because he was serious—I had no doubt he was—but because of the weight of sorrow they carried.

Iris had been drowning for a long time, and this was the culmination of propping him up to keep him going for the last year. I felt responsible even if I hadn’t been the one doing it. I’d let it happen.

"What happened?"

"What hasn't happened?" he replied flatly like all the life had gone out of him.

I couldn't help but believe this all came back to Cas. I wished one of the two would tell me what happened, but I never would get a straight answer there. Iris was a vault when it came to Cas, and Cas hated me enough at this point to never breathe a word of it, especially knowing I'd blame him for all of this.

"It's been worse these past few weeks." Maybe he'd let something slip. Anything at all. "You are the center of all of this. You brought us all together. There wouldn't be a Pretty Broken without you, Iris. Are you so miserable that it’s not worth it anymore?”

“Are any of the demons we suffer and the prices we pay worth the gilded throne?” Iris replied.

"Then be done." No one deserved to be forced into misery for any amount of money.

Iris’ head snapped back, and he stared at me, brows pulling.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Alexander screamed from behind us. "You guys are due in Japan next week and you're telling him to fucking quit?"

I didn't give Alexander a glance. Alister would have to handle him.

"You mean it, don't you?" He took another drag then pressed his lips to blow the smoke into the air.

"Of course I do. This is killing you. I don't think it's fair for any of us to ask you to stay."

He laid his head back, draping an arm over his face. "And yet you're the only one who's told me to leave."

"You are more important than any of this.” I couldn’t let it kill him. Not anymore.

"You cannot tell him to leave. We have fucking contracts," Alexander yelled from someplace and I heard Alister shushing him.

"Want to go out on the balcony?" I offered my hand after pushing to my feet.

"Naw, he'll find us there." He took my hand and let me pull him to his feet. The cigarette case slipped back in his pocket. He grabbed his leather jacket and headed towards the door.

I shrugged at Alexander as I walked past, Alister keeping his body between him and us.

"You can't let him leave. I've been keeping him here all day," Alexander said through his teeth. “He’ll fucking disappear into a goddamn alley and none of us will see him again.”

"Don't let him follow."

Alister nodded, putting both his hands on Alexander's arms when he tried to shove past. "If you follow them so help me God, we will all fucking walk out."

That stopped Alexander in his tracks. I didn't hear the rest of their conversation, jogging to catch Iris, not wanting him to get out of my sight. Instead of heading for the elevator, he went to the stairs.

"We're on the twentieth floor. Are you nuts?" I said, surprised when he went up not down.

I followed him to the roof, shocked when he pulled a key out of his pocket and slipped out into the cool night. He tugged the jacket closer around him, walking right towards the edge.

Iris had lived on the edge as long as I'd known him. Even as a teenager. He'd never shied away from any part of it, and after his childhood, I couldn't blame him. He stopped at the ledge, peering over it.

I lingered behind him, terrified to be as close as he was. At six-foot-four I didn't trust my body not to stumble and throw itself from the height.

Iris took a seat, legs dangling over the side. "I don't know how to go forward and not be miserable."

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