Page 9 of The Rules We Broke

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I backed up, and he scooted closer. Tears welled up in both of our eyes.

“Please, Ellie, listen to me.”

I stiffened. “My name is Ella,” I replied bitingly, each word coated in grief.

“Okay . . . Ella.” His voice cracked. “I’m so sorry. But being with you is tearing my family apart. And with my daddy so sick . . . I . . . I have to do this for them. Can you please understand?”

I stared at him, speechless.

I loved him.

I’d broken my aunt’s heart and her rules for him.

He was the one who chased me. The one who had pulled me onto that dance floor, shouted it to the world that we were together.

And now—he was ending it?

I couldn’t make sense of it.

Tears blurred my vision, hot and relentless.

He reached out, tried to wipe them away. But I pulled back. I didn’t want his touch. Not now.

He stood up slowly, like he couldn’t carry the weight of what he’d done.

Before he left, he looked down at me. “I love you, Miss Ellie.”

I stared at him, hollow.

Then he said it—the line that used to make my heart flutter.

“Don’t worry, Ellie. You don’t have to say it back. I love us enough for the both of us.”

In anger, I threw his gift at him—his stupid, smashed gift. He caught it with his wide receiver hands. He turned silently, but before he left, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a tiny, wrapped box and placed it on the sofa table before he walked out of my life forever.

As soon as he walked out the door, I fell apart. My aunt wasted no time in coming to me. She sat on the floor, held me, and stroked my hair. I kept waiting for her to say I told you so, but she never did.

“I’m so sorry, Aunt Lu,” I repeated over and over, wishing I could turn back time. Wishing for the pain to go away.

“Shhh, sweet girl,” she whispered, holding me tighter.

Until that night, I had never understood how my aunt could hate the Jacksons so much. But in the quiet, I realized something. She hated them so much because she had loved Isaac and her friend, Elizabeth. And that night, as I lay curled in her arms, I understood her perfectly.

Chapter One

Ten Years Later

Myphonebuzzedviolentlyon the nightstand, rattling me out of sleep.

I rolled over, squinting at the glowing digits. 3:36 a.m. Who in the world would be calling at this unholy hour?

Still half-asleep, I fumbled for the phone and croaked out, “Hello?”

“Oh, Miss Ella, thank goodness you’re up.”

I was upnow, especially since I recognized the voice. No one called me Miss Ella anymore. Panic exploded in my chest.

“Doris, what’s wrong?”

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