Page 128 of Make Me Yours
I nod. “Yes, she did.”
His mouth tightens. “I told her to just mail your stuff. It would’ve been easier.”
Of course he did.
“I didn’t mind,” I say. “It was on my way.”
He studies me for a beat, head tilted like he’s trying to figure me out all over again. “You look good, Lilah.”
I stiffen. “So do you. You look happy.”
He hesitates. And then, with the kind of ease that still manages to sting, he says, “I am.”
The words settle heavy in my heart.
I could walk away right now and let that be the end of this conversation.
But I don’t. If I’m going to fully close this chapter, I need to understand how it ended in the first place.
“Why?”
Devon frowns. “Why what?”
“Why weren’t you content with me?” I step closer, trying to keep my voice steady. “Why did you say you didn’t want kids for five years and now you’re having one with someone else?”
His jaw works as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “I don’t know,” he says finally. “Being with you… It always felt like something Ishoulddo. Not something I actuallywantedto do.”
My stomach twists. “Because of our parents?”
He shrugs. “I’m sure they played a part in it. You know howthey were. Always asking when we were getting married and what our future looked like. It felt more like an obligation. One I didn’t know how to get out of.”
My mouth opens and then closes again. It’s like being hit with a truth I wasn’t ready for.
“I wish you would’ve said something,” I murmur. “I never wanted you to feel like that.”
“In hindsight, I should have,” he admits. “I should’ve ended things sooner. I should’ve been honest, but I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“You did hurt me,” I say quietly.
He nods. “I know.”
There’s still one thing I haven’t let go of. One image burned so deeply into my brain it resurfaces every time I think I’m past it.
“When I walked in on you and Marissa…” My voice wavers. “I-I’d never seen you like that before. You looked… I don’t even know. Uninhibited. Alive.”
His cheeks darken as he glances away. “Do we really need to go there?”
“Yes,” I say, firmer now. “I need to understand how you could be one person with me and someone completely different with her.”
Devon’s gaze drifts toward the windows and the busy street beyond it. “With Marissa… I don’t know. I feel freer. Like I can just be myself without thinking about what I’m supposed to be.” He shrugs, as if that explains everything. “It made me realize we were never right for each other, Lilah. I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I do.”
“And yet, you stayed, instead of just ending it,” I whisper.
“Yeah, well. I guess I didn’t want to be the bad guy. You were always so put together. Smart. Driven. It felt like you had a five-year plan, and I didn’t want to be the one to derail it.”
The words land like a punch.
They’re not meant to be cruel, but they’re careless enough to leave a bruise.
