Page 66 of Mine for a Moment

I run a hand through my hair, my breathing uneven as I walk into the kitchen and pull one of my cupboards open. “Where is that stupidly huge mug with the pink hearts?” I ask, my voice hoarse. I bite down on my lip as I walk to my bedroom, scared of what I’ll find. “Where the fuck is everything?” Panic seizes me when I find my room devoid of Serenity’s things. “Who changed my silk bedding? Where is the jewelry box that was on my nightstand?”

My thoughts begin to spiral as I step into my walk-in wardrobe and find all of Serenity’s things gone, her favorite T-shirts of mine folded neatly, a handwritten note on top of them.

Thank you for letting me borrow everything I wanted, even if it was only for a moment. I’m returning it all to you now, as promised.

All my love,

Serenity

“Archer, you’re worrying me,” Tyra says, gently placing her hand on my bicep. I step away instinctively and turn to face her, trying my best to remain calm despite the pure chaos in my mind.

“Where is she?” I ask, my voice breaking on the last word.

Tyra searches my face before taking the note I’m holding out of my hands, her expression stoic as she reads Sera’s message. “She left,” she explains.

“What do you mean,she left? She still has a week of her notice period left, and why the fuck would she leave without a word? What happened?”

Tyra looks back at me, something shifting in her expression. “Ezra took her to the airport, Arch. He told her she didn’t need to stay for her notice period if she didn’t want to, so she left. I helped both Ezra and her pack earlier today. He’s moving out today too. I thought you knew.”

I bury a hand in my hair and sink down on my bed, hating that clean laundry smell. It doesn’t feel right at all. My bedroom is supposed to smell of the millions of hair products Serenity uses, blended together with that damn bodywash that leaves glitter all over my skin when our bodies melt together. I don’t even have a moment to feel relieved that she isn’t on a date with Theo—her absence steals away every thought, leaving nothing but misery.

My hands tremble as I reach for my phone and navigate through my contacts, my heart aching as I stare at the heart and tulip emojis for a second before I click the dial button. It goes to voicemail instantly, but that doesn’t stop me from dialing her number again.

Tyra sits down next to me, her eyes roaming over my face, something akin to concern in her eyes. “She’s on a flight,” Ty says, her voice soft.

I nod and put my phone away, my wits just enough about me to realize I shouldn’t let her see how I’ve got Serenity saved in my phone.“Right,” I murmur. “Did she tell you where she’s going?” We haven’t spoken about her leaving at all, neither of us wanting to acknowledge it, but we should have. If we had, I would’ve known where she’s going, where to find her.

“She said she wanted to travel for a while, see if she gets inspired to paint. She loved working for Ezra and you, but painting has always been her real passion. Serenity has always dreamt of being showcased in galleries, and I think taking some time off to explore that option is exactly what she needs. Don’t you?”

Tyra places her hand on my thigh when I remain silent, and I tense. “It felt like there was more to it, though. Serenity didn’t explicitly say it, but from what I understand, she had her heart broken and needed a fresh start. I was being a little nosy, and Ezra eventually told me that Theo is dating someone else. We always thought that they’d end up together eventually, and I’m honestly surprised they haven’t.”

“Yet,” I murmur, my voice laced with venom. “They haven’t gotten togetheryet, but they probably will. She wanted him once. With time, those feelings will probably return, and next time, he’ll be there to reciprocate.” My mind begins to torture me with thoughts of a future where she’ll have gotten over me, and I grit my teeth as I think of her in his arms, his hands roaming over her body, discovering every sensitive spot I thought was mine.

She’ll giggle when he touches her feet, only to moan when he spreads her legs and runs his finger up her thigh. He’ll find out that she loves wearing those sexy stockings and that a single kiss can make her wet. He’ll hold her in his embrace after, feeling the way her hair tickles his face, the way her breathing slowly deepens as she falls asleep on his chest. He’ll accompany her to her mother’s birthday, holding her hand as she smiles up at him, and I’ll have to stand there and watch the love of my life love someone else.

Fifty-Six

Archer

I stare at the notifications on my phone, alerting me to a new painting from The Muse. My fingers instinctively graze the silver pendant around my neck, and my heart begins to thunder when I recognize the location.

I’m on autopilot as I get into my car and drive to the last place I took Serenity before we began to fall apart. All the while, my chest aches with longing for her. She hasn’t replied to any of my text messages, nor is she taking my calls. She’s distancing herself, and I don’t know how to let her go.

I sigh when I notice how busy this usually deserted place is, people swarming one of the walls. I’m numb as I push through them, only to freeze at the sight of the painting that confirms all of my suspicions. My lungs struggle to fill with air as I stare at my sweet girl’s fears and pain on display for the whole world to see.

All around me, people discuss the significance of the painting, but I don’t need to guess. It’s me and her, our hands entwined even as a red thread of fate connects me to Tyra. She’s holding on with allher might, but I’m longingly looking back at Tyra, at my past. It takes me a moment to realize that the red thread is frayed, and Serenity is holding a pair of scissors behind her back, nearly entirely out of view.

I’d been wondering what she’d been thinking before she called things off, and part of me felt like she did it, in part, because of Theo. I thought she’d taken Tyra’s return as an opportunity to end things with me so she could explore her feelings for Theo.

I was wrong.

She left because she wanted to set me free, so I could be with the person she thinks I’m destined to be with. I have no doubt her love for Tyra was one of the reasons she left, but maybe I was wrong to say she loves Tyra more than she loves me. I was missing a crucial part of the puzzle and let my own fears fill in the blanks when I should’ve tried harder to understand her. She’s just trying to do the right thing—when neither of us knows what’s right or wrong anymore.

My heart squeezes painfully as I analyze every little detail, every expression she painted, every color she chose. She left because she didn’t think I’d choose her in the end, and I failed her if I didn’t instill enough faith in our relationship. I failed her by not changing my phone or door code, by asking her to paintThe Ballerina, and then again by standing back as Theo asked her out, making her feel like I didn’t care. I failed her, and I lost her.

My mind is whirling as I drive home, my fingers caressing the charm around my neck as I replay every conversation in my head, wondering if I could’ve made her stay. If she had stayed, would our circumstances have torn us apart? Her heart broke each time Tyra reached for me, both for herself and for Tyra. How much of that could she have withstood before it broke us?

I try my best to think of every scenario, every outcome, uncertain how she and I could’ve made it through this intact. How could I askher to come back to me when I can’t see a future in which she’s truly happy with me? I know her, and I know her heart. She could never live with herself if she caused Tyra any harm, and fuck, I don’t see how we could be together without hurting her. Tyra tore us apart, but not in the way Serenity thought she would.

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