Page 89 of Love or Leave

Max stared at her, shaking his head in disbelief. After a long pause, he blinked—still as stone—as his gaze shifted toward Antonio. Slowly, deliberately, he turned the rest of the way to face him. "I don't want to see you again," he said with a coldness Antonio hadn't thought was possible.

Antonio's gut sank. He'd been prepared to take a punch, not to be cut off from his friend. He would rather have taken a hit.

Max turned and walked down the hallway. When he got to the door, he tore it open and left without another word.

Antonio’s whole life was crumbling—again. But unlike before, when Fran had told him she wanted a divorce, he didn't feel angry or frustrated or confused.

He felt… dread. Stomach-dropping, weighed-down, achy-chested dread.

What if this was it for him and Cara?

What if they were over before they even got started?

twenty-five

Cara waited for Max to leave before turning toward Antonio. He was standing in front of his apartment door with his head hung, and she wasn't sure if it was from guilt or defeat.

Fran stood in front of him, unmoving, as if paralyzed by the situation that had just unfolded.

Had she really just arrived?It seemed like it, but Cara honestly didn't know what to believe anymore. She'd given Antonio the benefit of the doubt, but maybe that had been a stupid thing to do.

This nightmare hadn't been on her bingo card for the day.

"Cara, you're not just some girl anymore—"

"Fran," Cara said, cutting Antonio off. She really didn't want her boyfriend's wife to hear anymore of the conversation. "Can you give us a minute?"

Fran snapped out of it and nodded. "I'll just go—"

"No." Cara shook her head. She wasn't planning on sticking around, so there was no reason for Fran to leave. She just hadone question she wanted an answer to before she pulled the plug on her and Antonio’s relationship.

Fran awkwardly scurried down the hallway in the opposite direction of the door and stood in the corner.

Cara would have laughed if her heart wasn't breaking. She turned to Antonio, who'd become completely despondent. She couldn't really blame him. The situation was beyond fucked. And Max hadn't helped. He'd could be incredibly cruel when he felt cornered.

"Antonio?" she said, waiting. When he looked up at her, she wanted to cry. "Did you sign your divorce papers?"

His eyebrows bunched, as if that hadn't even crossed his radar.

"Not yet," he said, glancing back at his apartment. "I don't know where they are, but I—"

Cara turned on her heels, effectively cutting him off, and started walking toward the door Max had left by. Every step made her heart crack a little more.

"Cara," Antonio called

A second later, Cara felt his hand take hold of hers. She stopped, but only because her heart wished things hadn't turned the way they had. She wanted so badly for things to go well.

"I'm going to sign them," he said, pleading with his eyes. "I'll find them right now."

Cara forced herself to look at the reality and not the supposed love in his eyes. Max didn't trust him. Jer didn't trust him. Sara had warned her about him. Now she was faced with the same thing. She recognized the pattern, and her eyes absorbed the tears.

"You should have signed them after you asked me to be your girlfriend."

Antonio bent his head. "You're right, I should have."

Dammit. She'd expected him to defend himself, not agree. Maybe she wasn't giving him enough credit.

Her tears broke through, and she scrubbed them from her cheeks. "Why is Fran here?"

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