Page 103 of Changing Rules

“That’s more information than I needed to know.”

He whacks me in my ribs, silencing me. “I’m trying to help you out here.”

“Sorry.” I wince, massaging my side.

“Go.” He nods at the dim hallway. “She’s in the bathroom.”

“Thank you.”

He dismisses me with a wave of his hand, and then he’s gone.

The water runs behind the closed door, like she’s washing her hands. It’s probably locked, but I have to try anyway. With a deep breath, I turn the knob and ease the door open.

I meet her gaze in the mirror and give her an awkward smile. Then I lean against the now-closed door, a terrible attempt to act casual as I clear my throat. “Sorry for the intrusion.”

She lifts her chin, pushes her shoulders back. “I knew you’d come.”

The indifference in her voice stings. A sharp pain pierces my heart. I ignore the bitter taste in my mouth and cock a brow, once again going for easy.

“Is that why you didn’t lock the door?”

She rolls her eyes. “I unlocked it when I heard you and Marco in the hallway. Figured there was no way around this.” She waggles a finger between us. “I still love my privacy, thank you very much.”

“Sorry.” I lick my lips. God, it has never been this hard between us. “Um, also, please don’t be mad at Marco. He’s trying to be a good friend, even if it means enduring Meg’s wrath. He knows how much I miss you.”

For a fraction of a second, her eyes turn soft. A tenderness so familiar to me flickers in them, filling me with hope. But then she blinks, and that curated mask slips back in place.

“I’m not angry with Marco.” Another clipped answer. Dammit.

“That’s good to know. Er… How are you?”

“I’m okay.”

“Um…any chance we can get a cup of coffee this weekend?” I cross my fingers inside my pockets.Please, Bella, give me a chance. “To talk about…stuff?”

She holds my gaze as she says, “No. We have nothing to talk about.”

A painful tightness in my throat makes my voice hoarse. “I want to explain what happened with Stacey after you left.”

Her eyebrows hit her hairline as she slowly shakes her head. “You don’t need to explain anything. I saw your statement.”

“Then why did you block me on socials?”

Grimacing, she turns off the water. She takes her time drying her hands, and when she turns to me, her expression is blank.

“When I moved to New York, I was just existing. Every day, I struggled to resist the urge to go back to you. You told me you loved me, only me. You claimed you weren’t interested in Stacey.” She lifts a shoulder in a tiny shrug. “And once I was gone and completely on my own, I started having doubts. I started wondering if I’d made a mistake.” She exhales loudly, her entire body sagging. “I was this close”—she holds her thumb and index finger an inch apart—“to coming back. Coming back to you.”

The pain in my chest flares. It’s a knife to the heart, making me gasp for air.

“But then I saw the photos. You and Stacey were everywhere. Every news outlet and gossip site was speculating about our breakup. People on the internet called me names, saying I got what I deserved.” With a dark chuckle, she bows her head. “I read your statement. I made my peace with all that. But I knew then that I couldn’t do it anymore. I was tired of clinging to mypast, and my heart was so fragile. I knew if I risked it again, no amount of healing would ever put it back together. I wanted to move on, and to do that, I needed to cut all ties. And so I did, and I don’t regret it.”

I swallow hard, my muscles weakening. “Bella, I?—”

“You don’t get to call me that.” Head snapping up, she narrows her eyes.

We stare at each other in silence. Her brow smooths out, and her expression once again goes calm, as if nothing in the world can shake her. Meanwhile, I’m dying inside.

Heat rushes through me, my heart pounding loudly in my ears as the anger I’ve been suppressing for so long poisons my thoughts.

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