Page 121 of Pretty Poisoned

"I'll take care of you until you get better. We'll figure it out when we get home."

"I'm not going to get better. I'm not sick, Blake. Whatever's wrong with me—it's too late. Youshouldhave paid more attention. You can't fix me now."

I release her hand and push out of my chair. "You know, I was happy," I tell her. "Not in high school, but I was happy in that apartment with you. My social media and my podcast made me happy. I liked myself…for once. And Istillwasn't good enough for you."

"Teagan, don't go! Please, come home with me."

"Are you ready to leave, Teagan?" Rhett asks.

"Yeah, I am."

"You can't be serious! He is a monster, Teagan."

I wipe the tears from under my eyes as Rhett and Brady stand and push their chairs in.

"Come on," Brady says. He takes my hand in his and starts toward the door.

Before we leave, I turn back to Blakely one more time.

"I really love you, Blake," I tell her. "So much."

"Are you okay?" Brady asks once we're outside.

"No," I sob. "I'm not okay in any way."

"You will be," Brady says. "People like us always are."

"Teagan!" Blakely calls after me. She catches up to us and grabs me by my shoulder. "Don't do this!"

"I'm sorry," I cry.

"I'll never talk to you again," Blakely says. "If you do this, don't call me when it happens to you. And you can't come to my wedding."

"Blake…you don't mean that."

"I do mean it! I can't believe I came all the way out here," she says. "I should have listened to Austin—you're a lost cause."

She reaches into her purse, pulls out an envelope, and thrusts it at my chest. "Here. In case you change your mind."

Once she storms off, I realize it's a ticket for a direct flight from Denver to Santa Ana, leaving in about three hours.

"You want me to throw that away for you?" Rhett asks.

I nod, handing it to him, and then watch him tear it in half and throw it into a trash can on the street.

"You didn't deserve that," Rhett says. "You know that, right?"

"I don't know," I reply honestly. "I feel pretty stupid right now."

"You're not stupid, honey," he says.

"I'm sorry. I know how it feels, Teagan," Brady says.

He opens the door to the hotel, and I step inside.

I'm not so sure Brady does know how I feel. He told me he knows Rhett loves him—that he can see himself growing old with him, having children. Rhett isn't…whatever Luca is.

But Declan is right, too. Yesterday, I didn't care.

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