Page 2 of Broken Promises

“Luce…”

“Don’t!” I snapped at him. “Don’t call me that. You don’t get to call me that after what you’ve done.” I zipped my suitcase up and quickly moved into the living room to grab my purse. I was on the verge of tears; I just needed to make it out before I let it happen. I’d be damned if I let him see me crying because of him. “I’ll be back to pack up the rest of my stuff at some point.”

A few more steps, and I was finally out of the door, slamming it shut behind me. Thankfully, he didn’t try to follow me as I quickly made it to the car. I drew in a shaky breath as I popped the trunk open and put my suitcase in, not wasting a second before hopping in the driver’s seat.

The moment I started the car, tears flooded my cheeks. My chest was tight, to the point where it felt like I couldn’t breathe—to the point where it felt like I’d suffocate from this pain. This wasn’t how things were meant to go. We built a life together, and our future was all planned out. Hell, we were planning to get a dog at some point soon. Who the hell cheated on the person they were planning to have a dog with?

Jason Blackwell, that was who.

Sure, I wasn’t perfect, but neither was he. I had been busy with teaching lately, but that didn’t give him a pass to cheat on me because he was lonely. Being away from home so much sucked for me too—and somehow, I managed to refrain from finding someone else…someone more convenient.

A small sob left my lips as I tried to process everything that had happened in the past twenty minutes. I mean, I did decide I was leaving him the moment he admitted that he cheated with no proper plan.

I’d been through a breakup that broke me before, and I wasn’t about to let myself go through the same thing again. Pulling up to the side of the road, I grabbed my phone and set a timer for five minutes.

Five minutes.

That was all I’d give myself today to cry and sob before I figured out my next move and found a way to move on. I watched as the clock started ticking down, second by second, counting down the time to the definite end of my relationship. I slammed my hand against the steering wheel, feeling more tears make their way down my cheeks.

How could this be happening to me?

I thought he was the one.

And that’s what you get for opening your heart up to someone again,I cursed myself, my throat closing up. Every cell in my body hurt from not only the betrayal but also the grief of a life lost and left behind.

More sobs made it past my lips—the ugly ones that you can’t control and that leave you heaving for air.

The five minutes I had given myself seemed to drag on forever, to the point where it didn’t feel like I had any more tears left. When the last few seconds ticked away, I had nothing but soft sniffles left to give.

When my timer finally did buzz, I knew I needed to figure out where I was going to go. I could book a hotel room for the night, but the thought of being alone terrified me.

I needed to be not alone, at least not tonight. So, I called the only person I could count on right now.

I thought my fingers would have stopped shaking as I dialed my best friend, Sailor, but apparently not.

Sailor and I met during freshmen orientation and have been inseparable ever since. After our first year of college, we moved into an apartment and shared one until a year ago when Jason asked me to move in with him. Looking back, Sailor had been against it all along. And she was right. It was the biggest mistake of my life.

But still, I knew she’d have my back, no matter what, and she’d be able to be there for me. She worked from home for a graphic design company, so at least I wouldn’t be left alone right now.

Sailor answered on the second ring, “What’s up, girly-pop?”

“Hey.” I suppressed another sob. “How would you feel about a roommate for a few weeks?”

Sailor sucked in a breath. She knew me better than I knew myself, so it wasn’t surprising that she could instantly tell something was wrong. “What happened?”

“Let’s just say that I wasn’t the only person Jason was dating. I packed up my things and left—well, some of my things, anyway. I still need to go back and pick up everything I left behind, but I just…I couldn’t stay there for a moment longer. I needed to get out. I didn’t have a plan?—”

“You don’t even need to ask. Don’t be ridiculous. And that asshole…he better pray I don’t walk into him because there will be a price to pay. I can’t believe it. Theaudacitythis man has! Well, screw him! You’re coming back home. Yes, of course, you can stay. You’re welcome for as long as you need. I’ll order pizza,and we can make margaritas. Then we can make voodoo dolls of Jason and stab his stupid face.”

A small chuckle escaped my lips. “God, I love you.”

“Of course you do. Now get your ass over here. And don’t ever ask me a stupid question like that again. You should’ve just come right to my door. My home is yours, too. It always will be.”

I sniffled, relieved that I had somewhat of a plan. Not that I doubted her. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

An hour later, I recounted the whole incident with Jason to Sailor, along with a pizza and several margaritas as she promised. I was on her cream sofa, surrounded by dozens of pillows, as she sat on the floor beside me, snagging another slice of pizza.

“You can’t go back there under any circumstances. I’m more than happy to go and pick up your things if you need me to,” she said, brushing her blonde hair behind her shoulders. Her brown eyes remained glued to me. “You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like…but do you know what’s your move now?”

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