Page 114 of That One Heartbreak

“I mean it. Just listen, please. You owe me that much.”

His brows pulled tight in the center of his forehead but he nodded.

Her heart was pounding against her chest. Not just because she was so close to the man who’d told her he couldn’t do ‘them’. But because every part of her hurt. It hurt to see him, it hurt to talk to him.

It hurt to love him right now.

“I don’t want you messaging me anymore,” she told him. “I don’t want you to ask how my children or I are doing. You told me you were done. You’re not my boyfriend anymore.”

“Kate…”

“No! I haven’t finished.” Damn it, she was going to say what she needed to. “I don’t care what promises you made to Paul. Paul’s dead. And yes, that’s the big, awful tragedy of all of our lives, but he’s gone and he’s not coming back. And although it’s taken me a long time to accept it, I have. So whatever you talked to him about that day is between you and him. I don’t need your protection. I don’t need to be looked after. I don’t want you to do that for me or my children.”

He'd made his decision and now he had to live with it.

“And it was never about the grill,” she told him. “You and I both know that. It was about guilt and you not getting over it. Well, that’s on you. So please leave and delete my number, because I don’t want to hear from you again.” She blew out a mouthful of air. “And to answer your question, Ethan is fine. I’m fine. We’re all fine. And that’s all you’re getting.” She opened the door and stepped aside, ready for him to walk out.

“This isn’t what I want.” He took a step toward her, then thought better of it. “Let’s talk. I care about you. I care about the kids. I promised I wouldn’t walk away from them, remember? We’re supposed to be picking James up on Saturday.”

“I’m picking James up from camp, without you,” she told him. “I don’t need your help with that either.”

“But I…”

“Go. Please.” Her voice was firm. Because it was so clear that he wasn’t here to say he’d been wrong. That he’d changed his mind. That he hadn’t meant it when he said he couldn’t do this.

“Kate.” His voice cracked. “Don’t do this. I want to be here for you all.”

“I didn’t do anything. You did.” Her voice was monotone. For a moment he looked at her, and she had to tell her traitorous, injured heart to calm down.

He walked out of the office, and a moment later she heard the swoosh of the glass doors as he left the library.

And that’s when she allowed herself to close the office door and break down.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Pres asked Marley later that evening after he’d told him about his encounter with Kate. Because he’d stupidly gone to his brother’s house, thinking at least Pres would understand why he’d ended things with her.

Truth be told, he’d tried running his bad mood off, but he couldn’t be alone with his own thoughts. They were way too dark right now.

And Pres had done something similar himself, after all. Unilaterally deciding that his now-wife Cassie should leave him for a job in New York. He’d given her an ultimatum, told her that unless she took the offer there’d be no future for them.

And yeah, it was a bit different. But still.

“I had to decide between loving Kate and protecting her and the kids.”

“But why?” Pres asked. “That’s what I don’t understand.” He led Marley through the house. Cassie was in the living room. She looked up from the sofa, her brows lifting as she saw Marley in his running gear. The TV screen was frozen, like she and Pres had been watching a show and she’d paused it so he could answer Marley’s knock on the door.

The knock he was already regretting. He should have just gone home and drank himself to sleep. Or knocked his head on the wall until the thoughts didn’t hurt anymore.

Something other than thinking his twin brother might show some kind of sympathy toward him.

“Everything okay?” Cassie asked, her eyes still on Marley.

“Nope. My brother’s a dick,” Pres answered. “Listen, this might take a while. We may have to finish watching this episode another night.”

“Don’t let me interrupt you,” Marley said, sensing a chance to escape the prison he’d made for himself. But Pres grabbed his arm.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Pres glanced at his wife. “He broke up with Kate.”

Cassie’s mouth formed into a perfect ‘o’. “I heard the rumors but I didn’t believe them,” she said, frowning at Marley. “I hope she’s okay.”

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