Page 82 of A Sudden Romance

“I meant...” He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away.

“I thought you understood me. You’re using money against me.” She shook her head, her eyes glistening. “I can’t believe I thought you were... different.”

She sucked in a breath and gripped her handbag, then swung open the door and marched through the lot without a glance back.

His stomach growled, and he slammed his head into the steering wheel. He was no different from Julia who always blamed Iris whenever she needed to bring someone down with her.

He could go knock on her room and apologize. But he was exhausted, and his words weren’t coming out right. He’d wait until morning after they’d both had some rest. Especially him. Not that he’d sleep knowing Iris was rightfully mad at him. Why hadn’t he thought things through before talking to her?

He’d thought this day was one of the worst days of his life, but he still had Iris then. How much worse could the day end?

CHAPTER 18

Iris’s finger hovered over Tessa’s name on her phone screen. It was almost ten twenty. The shower she’d taken twenty minutes ago couldn’t soothe the heat burning in her chest after she’d marched out of Sabastian’s car. Too angry to cry, she needed to talk to someone. But could she manage to talk with her heart hammering in her chest?

Her friends were all married. Tessa didn’t have kids, so she was most likely to be available. But first, Iris better compose herself. She put the phone on the nightstand, then lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

The day she’d landed in town, Sabastian tripped over his words, barely himself around her. Then the night he’d confessed how long he’d harbored a crush for her, he’d been stronger, firm in his declaration. But now that she’d fallen for him, had he realized his fantasy wasn’t the reality he’d hoped for?

She’d been such a fool to get reeled into a fast-paced romance. Sabastian had been too good to be true. She’d have known better if she’d gotten a handle on her emotions.

It was going to be a long night.

When she’d swapped her flight, she’d swapped the airport so she could board from Eagle instead of Pleasant View. Sabastian was supposed to drive her to the airport on his way home, but after tonight’s conversation, he was the last person she wanted to see. She’d use the hotel airport shuttle.

When was she going to learn that things were different for her? She may never find a man who saw her for who she was. Sabastian had—or so she’d thought. Her stomach fluttered in his presence, and she felt the sparks and chemistry she longed for. But maybe there was more to love than that.

Her phone vibrated, and she flopped onto her side, reaching for it before swiping to open the text.

Sabastian: I didn’t mean to hurt you.

What was she supposed to type in response? Was he sorry to break her heart or sorry to mislead her? Did he ever love her, or had he been testing himself with her to overcome his shyness and fear?

Was that what he did to Paulina? He’d said he and Paulina never dated, but right now, Iris didn’t know what to believe. She swiped the screen for the app gallery and went through the photos she’d taken of her and Sabastian.

Her chest tightened. It all seemed like a dream. If the photos hadn’t shown picture proof of the last month, she’d think she imagined their relationship. Looking at them wasn’t the best therapy for her jumbled heart. Instead of responding to him, she typed a message to Tessa.

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