Page 182 of Make the Play

“Don’t tell me none of it mattered,” he says, voice broken.

“I just need some time,” I murmur, hands still on his chest. “That’s all.”

“No.” His voice is calm, but it’s brittle. “You don’t get to drop that and walk away like it isn’t ripping me in half.”

My lip wobbles. “I’m not trying to hurt you.”

“Well, congratulations,” he rasps. “You still did.”

I hold my breath. Try not to cry.

“I get it, Zo,” he says. “I get why this feels impossible, but don’t rewrite history just to make walking away easier.”

I meet his eyes again, expecting to see anger, but instead I just see pain.

“It’s not easier, it’s just…” I press the heels of my hands to my eyes, hating the way my voice breaks open. “I don’t wanna be your fucking PR problem, Chase.”

“You’re not,” he says instantly.

I try to shake my head, but his hands come up, framing my face—not forcing me to look at him, just holding me like I’m something breakable.

“Zoe.” His voice is wrecked now. “Ineedyou to hear me. Whatever’s happening, whatever this is, we can figure it out. I’ll fix it. I’ll go to the HOA, I’ll take the blame. I’ll leak a new story to bury the footage—I’ll dowhatever it takes.But don’t walk away from us, baby.”

“You make it sound so easy,” I whisper.

“It’s not,” he says quickly. “It’s not fucking easy, Zo. But it’sreal.And I want every single version of reality with you.”

My vision blurs again, and this time, I don’t fight it. I close my eyes, lean into the warmth of him for half a second, and let myself breathe him in.

“You see it, right?” he says quietly. “You see what you’ve become to me?”

His thumb brushes the corner of my eye, catching a tear before it can fall.

“I can’t sleep if I don’t know you’re okay. I count the hours until I’m home with you. I replay every smile, every laugh, every time you touch me, and pretend it doesn’t undo me. You think any of this was fake?” His jaw flexes. “Zoe, I haven’t been faking asingle secondof this, not since the moment I met you.”

I swallow a sob and look at him again, which is the worst thing to do, because all I see is love. The kind he’s been too afraid to say, the kindI’vebeen too afraid to say back.

Inhaling sharply, I nod once and place my hand on the door handle.

“I know, Walton.”

And this time, he lets me go.

Chapter thirty-five

Her fire, her chaos, her quiet. Her everything.

Chase

The second the door shuts behind her, I punch the wall.

There’s no thought or pause, just drywall and knuckles and a crack that splits wide open, same as me. The sound echoes through the condo like a gunshot, and my hand throbs, but I barely register it.

She’s gone.

Walked out wearing my hoodie, carrying every part of me I never meant to give away, and I let her.

I drag both hands through my hair, pacing fast, my breath coming in short bursts. I look down at my hand again as a sharp jolt of pain races up my arm, skin splitting across my knuckles, blood already blooming at the seam. I welcome it.

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