Page 74 of Some Saviors Can Break You

Eli had been destined to destroy her. He was way out of her league, he came from another world, it wasn't his fault, just like it wasn't hers, but if she’d been thinking clearly and not allowed her heart to interfere with her head, she would have known that it could never work.

Not even love was enough to conquer such high obstacles.

What was love?

Did she even believe in it?

Florence wasn't sure she did.

Okay, she loved her brother, and she’d thought she loved Eli, but what did she know?

Her father hadn't loved her mother or her and Fletcher enough to hang around. Her mother hadn't loved her and her brother enough to make sure they had even the basics of life. None of her mother’s boyfriends had loved her for anything more than someone to sleep with and pass the time away with. And Eli hadn't loved her enough to stay and fight for her even though he’d promised that he would.

Love was a lie.

It didn't exist.

“Hey.” Jake reached over and gently touched her shoulder. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she said on a sigh, fighting back tears because she didn't cry in front of people. Her mom hadn't been a fan of tears, and crying only earned you a beating and being kicked out of the trailer for the night. Maybe that was why the cops who had worked her attempted murder case had made such an impact on her. They hadn't minded her tears, they’d just held her, let her cry, then they'd offered comforting words and given her a teddy bear so she had someone to tell her fears to. She still had that bear tucked away safely in the top of her closet.

“We truly don’t mind you staying with us for a few days. Even just for tonight,” Jake added as he pulled the car up in front ofher building. Obviously, he didn't believe her when she said she was doing okay, and to be honest, she was too tired to try to convince him.

“I just need some time alone right now,” she told him. “Thanks for getting CSU wrapped up and out of here today so I can come back here.”

“Of course. You’ll call if you need anything.” It was a statement, not a question, so Florence nodded, knowing she would never call her partner, but she didn't want to be rude because Jake was going out of his way to look out for her.

“Thanks, Jake, for everything.” She offered him a small smile as she reached for the door handle.

“Anytime. I'm here for you, breaking up sucks, no matter how long you’ve been together.”

“Yeah, it does,” she agreed. “See you next week.” Her boss had ordered her to take the remainder of the week off, and she had no idea what she was going to do with herself.

“Try to get some rest, things will look better in the morning,” Jake told her as she climbed out of the car.

Somehow Florence doubted that.

In the morning she still wouldn’t be with Eli, and that was what was making her feel like someone had taken her heart and shredded it into a million pieces.

Knowing that Jake would sit and watch until she was inside her building, she hurried in out of the freezing wind. Not in the mood to wait for the lift, Florence trudged up the stairs to her floor and then found herself hesitating at her door.

This was ridiculous.

No one was going to be waiting inside for her.

Although part of her hoped that Eli had realized he’d made a mistake and had stopped by here to hash things out and make up.

With a deep sigh, she opened her door and stepped inside pausing to scan the room, searching for any signs of a person hiding in the shadows. There was none of course, and it annoyed her that she even had to think about it. She didn't like that her home had been breached like that. Toby hadn't just held a gun on her, he’d taken her safe place and made it feel no longer safe.

Maybe she should have stayed with Jake tonight.

No.

The way to face problems was head-on.

That was the way she had approached every other problem in her life.

Her phone dinged, and hope pinged through her as she fished it out of her purse.

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