Page 94 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

“I thought I could, but then I realized that you, being here with me, was a huge mistake. You didn’t immediately treat your hypo because we were arguing. What if it happens again, and the next time it’s too late, and you don’t make it? You need to be with your family, because they’re the ones whodoknow how to look after you.”

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell people this,” I said, my voice rising again, “but I can look after myself. Whathappened this past weekend and ten years ago were entirely my fault, not yours. And I survived both.”

“But you might not. I’m not willing to take the risk. You’re better off without me.”

“So that’s it? You’re just going to walk away?”

He went quiet, then slowly nodded. “If something did happen and I couldn’t help you, I could never forgive myself.”

I fisted my hand and leaned on his desk. “And you thought the best thing to do was to call my family?”

Alec’s laugh was bitter. “You know all those phone calls I had with Gemma? It’s because your mother had been harassing my family. She called my mom and my sisters, sent people over to our house, to their work, asking if they knew whether you were here with me. Even threatened to call the police on them.”

I closed my eyes. My mother had really gone too far.

“My mom and sisters pretended not to know anything. And they would have continued, for as long as it took. But after this weekend, seeing you that way, it triggered all those dreadful memories from that night. Ihadto tell Eric. If something had happened to you…”

“I wasfine. How many times do I have to tell you, it was just another—”

“It might’ve been just another hypo to you, but not to me,” he interrupted. “You didn’t see yourself being wheeled away into an ambulance ten years ago. Did you know how frightened I was? To watch you, unconscious and being taken away, not knowing whether you’d be okay, whether I’d ever see you again? I know hypos can be fatal in severe cases. I’m not taking a chance, not when it’s your life.” His voice shook a little, but his face was determined. “Your place isn’t here. You should go home. Be with your family.”

“I have a life, a business here. And what about us?” I asked, gesturing to the space between us, desperately trying—hoping—toconvince him we were worth saving. “You’re not even going to fight for us? Look, we’re in this together. We’ll hire our own lawyers, and we can dispute my mother’s lawsuit. I’m sure once the judges hear that—”

“I can’t.”

My heart lodged in my throat, refusing to budge.

“My priority right now is to save the company.” He glanced away. “I’ve got people depending on me. My family. My employees. I can’t let them down. I need to focus on making this right, because one wrong step, and my life could go pear-shaped as early as tomorrow. You deserve someone better. Someone that’s not me.”

I stood in front of him, feeling like the entire universe was about to come crashing down, burying me alive under its rubble. He’d made himself clear—that he needed to prioritize his business over me, because I wasn’t important enough for him.Just like I wasn’t important enough for my parents.And history was repeating itself: he was breaking my heart, shattering it into a billion tiny pieces.

Again.

But this would be the last time.

Because I wasso donewith this man.

I took a deep breath, calming myself down, then launched into my speech.

“First of all, I’m an adult. A human being. Not a fucking baton you can simply pass back to my family once the going gets tough. Second, I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. Get that through your thick skull. I didn’t need you, my family, or anyone else in the world to watch over me, or wait on me hand and foot.” I paused. “And finally, I don’t need someone who gives up on me after one hypo episode. Yes, they can be fatal. But it won’t be if you learn how to manage them. It’s not an excuse to freak out and pull the plug on a relationship. Do you knowhow many I’ve had since I was diagnosed? Hundreds. Maybe even thousands. And there’s probably another few thousand in my future. It’s part and parcel of having diabetes.” I took a deep breath. “Obviously you’re not the man I thought you were, because if you can’t handle that, then we can’t be together. I need someone who can be there for me, who’s resilient enough to go through the ups and downs with me, because trust me, there will be plenty of them.”

His eyes clouded, but he said nothing. Didn’t even try to defend himself.

“I’ll get my stuff out of the house before you come home.”

Without another look, I turned around and stalked away from his office, painfully aware of the radio silence behind me. I didn’t stop until I was outside, and the minute I found my car, I leaned on it and covered my face. And tears started pouring.

Because this time, it was finally over.

Alec Mackenzie was no longer a part of my life.

I wiped my eyes, knowing I still had one more piece of unfinished business. Pulling myself together, I got into my car and drove to the Plaza Hotel. My mother had texted me, letting me know she was at a café at the Plaza’s rooftop area. When I got there, she was sipping at what I knew would probably be her fifth or sixth cup of coffee for the day. The woman lived and breathed the concoction, just like Eric. Maybe it was the real reason I couldn’t stand coffee.

Because it subconsciously reminded me of her.

I pulled out the chair across from her. “You were right about him.”

She looked satisfied. “I’m always right.”

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