Page 181 of When We Fall: Part Two
I didn’t even know what the fuck to say to her.
I wanted to scream that I loved her. Missed her. Needed her.
The words wouldn’t come. I was disgusting. If she knew… fuck.
“It’s OK,” she finally said.
I looked at her. “What is?”
“Falling out of love with me. It’s OK. Enzo is. Fox is gone. You’re on the way out. Cole…” her voice trailed off. “It’s OK.”
“Fuck, Rosalie. It’s-It’s not like that.”
“It’s OK,” she repeated. “It’s OK.” Her soft sob sounded out, and she wiped quickly at her tears.
“Don’t cry. Please, don’t fucking cry.” I made to reach for her, but jerked my hand back when I realized I was doing it.
“Enzo is talking to Celeste,” she continued after wiping her eyes.
I stiffened at her words. I knew he said he’d be doing some really bad things, but fuck, I had no words. Just a wish that he’d fucking gut the bitch and piss on her corpse.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” I said roughly. “It doesn’t.”
She looked down at the mug in her hands.
“You don’t need to try to smooth this over, Ethan. It hurts. Lots of things hurt me right now. I waited for you. For Fox. And for what? For it to fall apart anyway?” She shook her head. “I love you. I want you to know that. I never stopped.”
“Fuck, sweetheart,” I rasped. “I-I can’t… so much shit has happened.”
“I’m not asking you to,” she said. “I’m only asking for honesty. I would stay through everything for you guys. If you don’t want me, let me go.”
“I-I don’t want to let you go,” I whispered. “It’s the last thing I want to do. You’re everything to me, but the things I’ve experienced…” I wiped at my eyes. “I can’t right now. I-I don’t know if I ever can. “
She nodded. “Thank you for telling me.”
“Don’t go, though,” I continued. “I-I don’t want you to go. I should, but I’m a selfish prick. I keep hoping I’ll wake and this will have been a nightmare. That none of it was ever real. You’ll be in my arms. Fox will be beside you. Cole and Enzo will be with us.”
“This is reality, Ethan,” she said. “Not a dream. Not a nightmare. It’s real.”
“I know.” My voice cracked. “I wish it wasn’t. That’s all.” I sniffled and wiped at my eyes. “I was honest with you, Rosalie. Be honest with me. Where were you when you left overnight?”
She stared down at her mug again, her delicate hands trembling.
“Were you with Anson?” I pressed.
“No.”
“Then where?”
“I met a guy at a bar. I went home with him.” Her words were so soft I could barely hear them.
“You-You went home with a guy from a-a bar?” My guts churned at her words. I definitely hadn’t expected that answer. “Did you have-have sex with him?”
My heart pounded as I stared at her, waiting for her answer.
Please, sweetheart, don’t break my heart right back…
“I-I didn’t. We talked. I’ve known him for a bit before. He saw me out and came up. I drank too much. He asked me to go to his place, so I did because being here…” her voice trailed off, and she breathed in deeply. “It’s never been my intention to hurt anyone, but you guys have destroyed me. I’ve been so alone. I’ve been going through everything without the ones who should have been there for me. I know I can’t be hard on you, Ethan. I don’t blame you. But Enzo. He stopped trying. Cole comes in sometimes.”
