Page 135 of Love Sick

My arms cross, and I bite my cheek to hinder the tears.

“This is the way it ends?” He rakes his fingers through his hair. “When you wouldn’t tell me you love me, I thought I must have been a fling for you. Just a little bit of fun or something. I never thought you’d finally admit you love me, then tell me you don’t trust me in the same breath.”

The lump in my throat will no longer allow me to swallow.

“Just so you know, Idoknow you. I loveyou. What you’re doing right now isn’t you. This is fear talking, and I don’t know what happened to make you so scared, but I wouldneverhurt you like this. You’re letting this thing from your past control your life. It’s taking things from you that don’t belong to it. I would have helped you heal, Grace. All you had to do was ask. But sure, break us if you want. Just don’t think for one second that you’re doing it for me. I don’t want this, and you’re right. Idon’tdeserve this.”

“Please,” I say on a sob. “I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to protect you.”

His dark eyes flash as they meet mine. “That’s some solid logic. Protecting me by shattering me? Why don’t you go ahead and cut me with all the broken glass left behind while you’re at it?”

I have no words.

His jaw clenches. “I can’t do this.” The door slams as he leaves, and I fall to the sofa, curling in on myself to cry.

This is the right thing.

I’m a wreck of a human with insecurities piled so high I can’t see the top. Julian deserves someone whole. Someone confident. Someone untainted by rumors.

Someone who believes in love.

I’m a coward.

An idiot.

And now I’m alone.

Julian

MARCH, YEAR 2

My heart isn’t broken.

It’s gone.

Disappeared.

She fucking stole it.

Am I even human anymore?

I make it through the rest of the week and my weekend twenty-four at Vincent without remembering much. All the patients survived, so I don’t care about anything else. At shift change, I sign out the patients to Alesha in our tiny call room, then gather my things.

“What did you do to her?”

I freeze in the middle of shoving things into my bag. “What?”

“What did you do to her, Julian?” Alesha glares at me. “She’s crying every day.”

I shake my head. “Not now, Alesha.”

“Yes,now, Julian. She’s my best friend, and—”

“Just stop. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I go back to packing my bag.

Alesha stands and raises her voice. “I won’t stop! You broke her heart, Julian.”

I whirl on her. “Ibrokeherheart?”

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