Page 53 of The Break Down

I can’t tell if the tremble in my voice is from guilt or the threat of tears—or both.

His brows furrow. He opens his mouth like he wants to say more.

But I don’t let him.

I turn.

And I walk away.

Coward.

I ignore my inner voice and keep moving.

Each step feels heavier than the last.

Like I’ve left something important behind.

Like a thread’s been cut between us, and I’m not sure I know how to tie it back together.

But some things just can’t be fixed.

Some things never belonged together from the start.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN-KOA

She walked away from me.

Why the fuck did she do that?

It’s been on replay in my head like a goddamn highlight reel I didn’t ask for.

Every second since. The way her face shifted. One moment soft and glowing—mine—and the next?

Gone.

Shut down.

Eyes guarded.

Smile fake.

Something cold crept in, distant and unreachable, like a wall slamming down between us.

And then—poof—she just left.

Said something about Carolina.

Some bullshit excuse with her phone held up to her ear like a shield.

Voice too bright.

Eyes too wet.

Fuck.

It took me an hour and twenty-five minutes to get away from the fans that night—smiling, signing, posing like I didn’t feel like I was bleeding from the inside out.

Only to get back and find her not in the RV like I expected.

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