Page 182 of When We Fall: Part Two
“We do love you,” I whispered. “Things are hard right now.”
“Right. It’s why Enzo is making plans to meet up with someone alone he swore to me he wouldn’t talk to anymore.”
I said nothing. I had no idea what he was doing, but I’d make it a point to find out.
“What else?” I pressed. “Did anything happen with the guy?”
“Yes.”
My breath caught, and I thought I was going to die again.
“What happened?” I asked, needing to know. “It won’t change how I feel, sweetheart. I-I swear.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I-I don’t want to talk about it. I-I can’t. I messed up. I hate myself for it.”
“It’s not cheating,” I managed to say, the pain of her words overwhelming me. But she’d told me. She was always honest with me. “It’s not. We’re paused. It’s not cheating, sweetheart. It wasn’t cheating when I-I kissed Macy. This isn’t cheating.”
She let out a soft sob and hugged herself. “The d-difference is you didn’t want to do it. I did. In that moment, I did. I wanted to feel like I mattered.”
“Fuck, you do matter. Damnit, Rosalie! You fucking matter! I don’t want to lose you. All I thought about while I was away was you. Getting home to you. Things just fucking suck, baby. They suck. I-I want us to work. I just… I need time. I need some fucking time. I’m not well.”
“I know.” She breathed in deeply and tried to calm herself. “I know you’re not. It’s wrong of me to want to force myself on you. I-I don’t want that. I don’t want you to feel pressured by me. I’m only telling you my feelings. That’s it. I don’t want them to hurt you. It’s never on the list of things to do. Not to you, Ethan. I-I love you so much.So much. I’m sorry. I’m fucking sorry.” She stood abruptly and ran from the room, leaving me to sit alone at the table, her words still burning through my body.
I didn’t know what to do. I was lost. I blamed myself even more. I couldn’t even comfort her. Kiss her. Tell her that I would try harder.
I didn’t even know if I had it in me to try. I’d failed her. I’d failed Fox.
Everything was fucked.
FUCKED.
FIFTY-SIX
ROSALIE
Two days after my night with Ethan in the kitchen, I stood in my closet with my wedding dress on. I stared at myself in the long mirror.
“You look beautiful,” Cole’s soft voice called out.
I jerked and turned to see him leaning against the doorjamb. He’d been just out of view of my mirror, so I hadn’t heard him come in.
I wiped quickly at the tears on my cheeks.
Cole’s hands landed on my waist, stopping me from turning away. He tilted my chin up.
“Look at me, Rosebud.”
I stared up at him. He reached out and thumbed away my tears.
“Why are you crying?”
“Sad,” I whispered.
“Why is my girl sad when she looks so beautiful?”
I said nothing, unable even to keep looking at him.
“Rosebud, baby, talk to me.”
