Page 122 of As the World Falls

“No, I’m not. Quit saying that,” I shout now. “And you know what? I don’t owe you my love, Lance. You never even made a move until I started slipping away.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it means we were just settling for each other. But what I do know is that this thing with James is real.”

He moves closer to me, his eyes a mixture of pain and anger. “What makes it so real? How can it be any more real than a lifelong friendship that we’ve had?”

“Don’t make me say this, Lance. Please. I don’t want to ruin anything between us. You know how much I care about you. You’re my best friend.”

“Just tell me.”

I sigh, staring at the floor. “He’s different. He makes me feel seen and validated. He makes me feel things I’ve never felt before…with any man.”

He scoffs again, tearing his gaze away from me. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”

“I wanted to tell you the truth.”

“You want some truth, Lia? You’ve never given me a proper chance. How do you know he can make you feel things I can’t when you’ve never even let me try?”

I shake my head. “I just know.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Well, believe it because it’s true. And it doesn’t matter now anyway because I love h—” My words are cut off as Lance lunges for me, his arm wrapping around my back and holding me as he kisses me.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

James

I know something is wrong the minute I wake up. I’d only slept with someone else overnight once in my whole life—last night, with my Cecilia. I’d already gotten too used to it, because when I look to my side, she’s not here, and I feel…empty.

I rush out of bed, scowering the room, and then head down the hall to my living room and kitchen. My shoulder was aching like a mother fucker, and I should probably be taking it easy, but that’s something I never do, and the only thing going through my head is that she left me. Again. She got scared. Again. That this time…she might not come back like she has so far.

I stop as I pass the kitchen counter, seeing a piece of paper lying in the center of it. I pick it up, reading Cecilia’s handwriting.

“There is something I had to take care of. I’ll be back in Boston.”

My fist crunches the paper in my hand. I pull out my cell phone from my pocket and dial her number, but it goes straightto voicemail. Then I dial Tobias, who picks up on the second ring.

“Where is she?” I growl into the phone.

“Uh… Good morning to you, too, jackass. Where is who?”

“Your sister. I woke up, and she was gone. She left me some vague fucking note.”

He chuckles, making me want to put my fist through the phone and connect it to his throat. “That’s Lia for you. She flies by the sails of her own wind or whatever the fuck.”

“You’re telling me you don’t know where she is?”

“No. I haven’t heard from her.”

“She said she’d be back in Boston. I’m heading there now, but I want you out there, too. She apparently doesn’t realize her life is still in danger.”

“Fuck me. Copy that.”

I hang up the phone, exhaling sharply as I try to calm myself down. I call her phone again, and once again, it goes to voicemail. I run back to my room and open my closet to change, but I stop when I see my hangers spread out. I always kept them neatly one inch apart from each other. I look back into my room and see Cecilia’s dress still on the floor. I smile, grabbing one of my white dress shirts out of my closet and then a black suit.

She’d better hope I still find her wearing my clothes, and maybe I won’t punish her too hard.

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