Page 118 of The Photograph

The hurt in her voice guts me. Cal pushes on his knees to stand beside me.

“You were in New York, Cara was on the other side of the world, so I called him, and he hung up on me.”

Emma’s gasp echoes my sharp intake of breath. “Jesus Ael… I’m so sorry.”

Pressing the heels of my hands on my eyelids while my breath saws out, I stagger to the door. I thought she was pleading to stay while she was…

Cal grabs my shoulder. “Bro, she’s past it.”

“Cal, she fucking called while she was—”

My friend’s hand digs in. “G, she’s past it. Let her be past it.”

I can do that for her. I drop back in the chair.I’d do anything for her.

“Babe, you’d have had to tell him one day anyway, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose, but I wish I hadn’t because before it was, it was … you know.”

“Yeah. It was about the woman and not the trauma,” Emma whispers.

Another silence. “I’m sorry, babe, it sucks, but you couldn’t really expect him to treat you like nothing happened. Or like a whore.”

Aelin chuckles. “I suppose not, but I wish I could have… for a little bit longer.” Another deep sigh—I’m starting to hate that fucking sound— “I told you it would change things. I’m not sorry that the whore part is gone, but… I liked the … undamaged woman part.”

You’re not damaged.You’re beautiful.I hurt her. Deeply, and in so many ways. I stalk to the door. And stop. Another pair of heels cuts through the silence.

If Vanessa—

“Hey, angel.”

I retreat back on the terrace.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Aelin

Curling my hands on the smooth stone of the balcony, I tilt my heated face to the cool evening breeze. The gardens, lit with fairy lights, are straight from a novel and the magical set up is simply enchanting.

Emma touches her temple to my shoulder. “You’re all dreamy again.”

“Look at this. It’s—”

Cara stumbles into the bedroom and slams the door behind her. “That’s where you’ve been hiding!”

My tipsy sister teeters toward Em and me.

“Angel, you’ve done an awesome job with the house!”

I wrap my arm around her waist to steady her wobbly progression to the balcony. “Thank you, my Cara.”

“I never quite understood your obsession with this house, but I get it now, the happiness that lived here.”

Cara drops into a lounging chair. “Okay, let’s pretend we’re all single and don’t have eyes, so our men don’t get pissed off.”

Emma rolls her eyes. “Iamsingle, so no need to pretend for me.”

I grin. “I’m single, too, Cara. You’re the only one happily paired up.”

---