Page 118 of Somehow You Knew

He shakes his head, looking away from me. “You need to go.”

The doctor clears his throat. “I’m going to give you two a minute. Nurse Hailey and I will be right outside if you need us.”

I watch them leave and then stand from the bed, staring down at the man that has much more explaining to do before I let him off the hook. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on.”

“You heard the doctor. I have HCM.”

“And what does that mean?”

He finally turns to face me. “It means that you shouldn’t be here. That I never should have agreed to this marriage. That—”

“No.” I cut him off, stabbing a finger in his direction. “You don’t get to push me away right now. You need to talk to me. Help me understand.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, inhaling deeply. “This is why I didn’t want to get involved with you, Spitfire. My dad died from this condition, and who the fuck knows when my time will come.” When he opens his eyes, I see a pain there that I’ve never seen before—like hopelessness, sadness, and grief all rolled into one.

“I don’t know what the future holds for me, Hazel. I don’t know how serious this could get, how limited my life might be. The last thing I want to do is put that burden on someone, and that’s why I never should have married you. That’s why I wanted to keep feelings fucking out of this!”

My heart breaks for him. He’s been holding this inside, keeping this life-changing condition to himself for God knows how long.

I swallow hard. “Well, it’s a little too late for that, isn’t it?”

Heshakes his head. “No, it’s not. I want you to leave. Fucking go.” He turns away from me again, closing his eyes as his voice cracks. “Please.”

I reach for his chin and turn his face back to mine as tears fall down my face. “No, Gage. You don’t get to make that decision on your own. You made me fall in love with you, and now that’s a choice we have to make together!”

His eyes fill with tears as he reaches up and squeezes my hand. “You think I don’t love you too, Hazel? You think it doesn’t kill me to know that I told myselfnotto fall in love with you and want things that I can’t have? Things that you deserve and I can’t fucking give you?”

“Then talk to me,” I beg, sitting on the bed and cradling his face in my hands as we both cry. “Talk to me so we can figure this out.”

He shakes his head again. “There’s nothing to figure out. You don’t need this in your life.”

A sob wracks through my body. “Yes, I do, Gage.”

He pushes my hand from his face. “You need to leave.”

“But I’m your wife.”

His eyes snap open, dark and cold. “Only on paper, Hazel.” I flinch at that. “We married for money, not love, remember? I don’t give a fuck about the money anymore. I just want to be left alone.” He closes his eyes and turns away from me once more.

He might as well have stabbed me right in the chest.

That agreement we made months ago feels like a cruel joke now—because nothing about this, about us, resembles what we were then.

Part of me wants to fight him on this, but how can I when he already decided I’m better off without him? And I can see how exhausted he is from what his body just went through.

Andeven though I know he’s full of shit, part of me needs some space too—to process everything I just learned, to come to grips with the fact that the man I married is still a stranger in ways I never realized.

I stand from the bed, looking down at him. “Fine. I’ll go,” I say quietly. “But I’m notleaving, Gage. I’ll give you some space, go home and shower, and check on Blueberry—but I’m. Not. Leaving. You.” I say, letting every word land, sharp and deliberate.

He turns back to face me.

“I love you,” I say as I place a hand over my heart. “I fell in love with you, Gage. And you don’t get to push me away because you’re afraid of that.” Leaning down, I kiss his lips. “Iwillbe back.”

I turn for the door, glancing over my shoulder one last time, but he’s not looking at me.

He’s staring out the window, lost in thoughts I can’t reach.

I just hope I can help him find his way back.

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