Page 118 of Only You
Jack stilled before turning his gaze to her, eyes guarded. ‘What do you mean?’
She crossed her arms, looking at the floor as she spoke. Every word was a struggle to release from her throat. ‘It was innocent in the beginning, but we spent more and more time together and things just changed.’
‘Sel, stop.’
But she couldn’t. Now that the truth started flooding out of her mouth, she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to stop.
‘He understood me in ways you can’t. He listened and I didn’t have to hide from him or put on a show. He just let me be myself, which has been damn near impossible with you since we started all of this. I didn’t know a relationship didn’t have to be a constant struggle until I met him.’
‘So, you liked him because it was easy?’ he asked incredulously.
She looked up, finally, meeting his gaze. ‘No, I loved him because our relationship was honest!’ The echo may have been in Selene’s head, but the words lingered all the same as Jack’s heart broke right in front of her.
He rocked back in shock; his voice was barely a whisper. ‘What?’
An apology rushed to the tip of Selene’s tongue, but she bit it back, the weight of the truth lifting from her shoulders as she spoke. ‘All I do is lie about who I am so we can be together.’ She cleared her throat of the tears that were building. ‘And I can’t take it anymore.’
‘What are you saying? You haven’t been lying,’ Jack exclaimed. ‘We’re still good. I can forgive you, okay? I–I wasn’t paying enough attention. If that’s all it takes, I can do that. I can fix this.’
‘Jack…’
‘Don’t do this,’ he pleaded, grabbing her arms desperately. ‘We’re soulmates. It’s been you and me from the beginning, always. We’ve always been all we had. That’s all we ever needed. We’re supposed to be together. I know you know that.’
Selene stared into his frantic eyes. She placed her head on his chest, giving into his warmth for one last time. Before he could wrap his arms around her, she slipped her engagement ring into the front pocket of his shirt.
‘I need more,’ she whispered.
His devastation was too painful for her to watch, so she stared at the floor as she grabbed her suitcase. She turned on her heel, placing her keys on the kitchen counter and walked out the door.
One of the things she had once loved so much about Jack was his persistence, so she was only mildly surprised when he followed her.
‘You can’t just walk out,’ he continued as she headed down the stairs. ‘We need to talk about this!’
She ignored him, determined to leave, when a sudden jerk stopped her. She looked behind her to see Jack gripping her suitcase. ‘Jack, stop.’ She pulled harder, her heels digging into the stairs for leverage, her back braced against the stairs’ railing.
‘No! You can’t leave!’
‘Let go!’ Her scream echoed down the stairs, reminding her that they were five storeys up. ‘Enough, Jack!’
Face red and pupils blown, he looked as desperate as he sounded. ‘You want me to let you go just like that? After you fucking cheated on me? I was willing to forgive you!’
Selene sneered as she tried to pull her suitcase away from him. ‘Right, ’cause you’re some kind of hero! I don’t need your forgiveness!’
‘You really want me to let go?’ Jack bellowed. A trickle of fear ran through Selene, remembering when he grabbed her in the gym, bruising her arms. ‘Fine!’ He pushed the suitcase into her chest with all his strength.
A part of her knew Jack was acting out. She knew he’d meant for her to land on the stairs, maybe tumble down a few while he stomped back to his apartment.
Instead, she went over the railing.
Jack’s face turned from rage to shock, and she caught a glimpse of his hand reaching out, but she was already too far away. As the wind pushed against her back, she realised there would be nothing to catch her but the concrete floor. Her ears barely caught the scream she let out, heart hammering against her chest in an attempt to escape her doomed body.
For a split second, her mind conjured up images of the sunset and Demir. He was smoking, his expression peaceful. He looked over at her, holding out a cigarette to her. She reached out to take it.
The darkness was sudden and heavier than anything she had ever known.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Washington, D.C.
