Page 116 of Chasing Lyric
So, I say the only thing that can be said at this time. “I’m so sorry.”
She snorts out an almost maniacal laugh. “Sorry, you lied? Sorry, you got caught out in that lie? Sorry, you deceived me formonths? Sorry, you made up this persona of who you are? Sorry, I fell forit and you, hook, line, and sinker? Sorry, I can’t trust anythinganyonesays anymore.Are you sorry forthat?”She says everything in a rushed, quick succession.
The puppy handler subtly purses her lips, then quickly averts her eyes like she doesn’t want to be anywhere near this explosive conversation. I don’t blame her. This wasn’t what I was expecting either.
“Lyri, I know what I did was wrong, and I will spend forever making it up to you. Just please… let me.”
She scrunches up her face. “So, all this…” She waves her hands around. “The notes on Monday, the puppies today, this was yourgrandgesture?”
I shrug. “You get to keep one of the puppies. Did the handler tell you?”
Her eyes bug open wide as her head snaps around to the handler, who nods. “He’s correct. All paid for in full. You can choose anyone you like.”
Lyric gasps as the puppy she’s cradling nestles deeper into her chest. Her arms wrap around it tighter, like letting go isn’t an option anymore. There’s a soft sound in her throat, something torn between a laugh and a sigh, and she presses a kiss to its head like it’s already hers. Then she looks up at me, her eyes glassy but sharp. “A puppy won’t fix our problems, Chase. You lied to me aboutwhoyou are.”
Her words hit like a gut punch, low and solid, knocking the breath from my lungs. My throat thickens as I try to speak. “I know, but I did that for—”
“I don’t want to know, Chase.” Her voice spikes, slicing through my explanation before I can even reach it. “I’m not ready to hear any of your fucking excuses. You told me you loved me. I said it back. That’s huge for me, and then your father shows up wanting to sign me to the very thing I want least in thisworld.” She lets out a bitter laugh, the kind that makes a man feel like he’s watching something beautiful burn.
“You made a fool of me, Chase. You ruined me. And I can’t forgive that, no matter how cute these puppies are. No matter how amazing your notes are. No matter how much I miss you.I. Can’t. Forgive. You.”
Each word lands like a blade, precise and merciless. My shoulders lock up, every muscle pulled taut like I’m bracing for another hit that never comes. My jaw clenches, aching from the pressure, and my hands ball into fists at my sides as I fight the instinct to pace or break something.
I want to argue, to tell her everything she doesn’t know, but my voice is gone, strangled by the weight of what I’ve done and how completely I’ve wrecked our relationship. My chest is hollow, but somehow it still feels too full. Like my heart’s swelling to the point of breaking, only it already has.
This rejection isn’t like the last one.
This one cuts deeper.
Her tone, her body language, her resolve. It’s not just anger now. It’s devastation.Finality.
She’s not pushing me away out of spite. She’s closing the door because I gave her no choice. And standing here, helpless and cracked open in front of her, I feel more like a stranger to her than I ever did pretending to be one.
My stomach churns as the weight of my mistake settles like lead in my gut. Dax was right. I came in too early, too hard, desperate to fix what I hadn’t earned the right to touch again. I should have waited. I should have fought smarter.
Instead, I let myneedoverride the plan.
And now?I have probably lost her for good.
“C’mon, brother… let’s go.” Dax pulls my arm. I didn’t even hear him walk up, and Lyric didn’t acknowledge he was there.
My face falls as I make one last-ditch effort. “Lyri, I love you, and I’m not going to quit. I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk.”
She looks at the puppy in her arms, cuddling it tighter to her chest, avoiding eye contact with me. “Don’t hold your breath.” Then she adds, “But Iamkeeping the puppy.”
Suddenly, a sliver of hope bolts inside me.
That puppy canonlybe a reminder of me.
That’s how I see it anyway.
There’s no way I’m giving up now,or ever.
She’s giving me an inch, fuck if I’m not going to take a damn mile. I exhale, turn, and start walking off with Dax, feeling a slight pep in my step.
She hasn’t given up.
Not completely.
