Page 105 of Exile and Embrace

“You don’t need me? You were using me.”

“And you were using me. Let’s not forget that. We had a deal in place and both of us made good on our ends. But now it’s done. You shouldn’t make this more complicated than it needs to be.”

“Who the hell am I talking to right now?” I hate the way my voice breaks. “The Finn I know isn’t like this. Right now, you sound like your brother.”

Finn’s chuckle is dark. “Oh? You’re just now realizing that? We were raised by the same man. Of course, I’m like him. You should have known that from the beginning.”

The air is knocked from my lungs as I lean back and try to take deep breaths. This is all crashing down around me.

I don’t know how we got to this place when everything seemed like it was fine.

We were happy together. We were going on dates and spending our nights talking.

It seemed like a real relationship and yet, it was all a lie.

“You were nothing to me, Ava.” He spits the words out like they’re poison in his mouth. “Nothing. Do you hear me? I used you and played with your emotions to get you to do what I wanted. There was nothing between us, and there never will be anything between us.”

“How the hell can you say that after everything that happened between us?” My blood boils as my heart breaks.

I’m torn between wanting to rip his head off and seeking the nearest pillow to bury my face into for a good cry.

Something must have happened in the time that I’ve been away.

This isn’t the Finn I know.

Unless he’s been hiding who he really is all along. He could be more like Declan than I ever thought he was.

Finn sighs, his irritation clear. “Look, Ava, I don’t know how much clearer I can be. I’m over this game. You mean nothing to me, and I don’t want you here. Stay where there are people who care about you. I’ll ship your things.”

“Finn, this doesn’t make any sense.” The words are strangled as I get up and pace over to the window.

“It makes perfect sense. We had a deal and now it’s done. We’re both free of each other.”

“And what if that isn’t what I want?”

“Doesn’t matter. This is done. Have a nice life.”

The call ends, nothing but silence in my ear.

I take a shuddering breath, trying to hold the tears back.

There’s no containing them. Hot tears track down my cheeks as the plane waits on the tarmac.

I wipe at the tears, tilting my head back to focus on the bright lights.

It takes a few minutes to gather the nerve to call Zoe and tell her everything, but I do.

My hands tremble as I hold myself together with one arm and lean against the window.

I clear my throat seconds before the call connects. “Zoe, can you turn around and come pick me up? I’m not going home.”

Zoe’s sharp inhale is followed by the clicking of a turn signal in the background. “I’m coming back. What happened? Do I need to send Christian back to Oregon to deal with it for you?”

“No!” I take a deep breath as it becomes harder to breathe. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout, but right now, I’m tired of having men make decisions for me. Finn called and told me that it was over, and I don’t know what to do, but I don’t want Christian to go sort him out.”

“Honey, you were falling for each other, what the hell happened?” Zoe’s voice is soft and reassuring. For just a moment, it tricks me into thinking that everything might be alright.

At least, it does until my mind reminds me that my life is tearing apart at the seams.

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