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“Are you okay?”

My heart leaps at the sound of Lil’s voice, hope rising that she’s here for me.

“I’m fine,” Jason says. “Just a few bruises. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Lil sighs. “What happened?”

She didn’t come for me. She came for… him.

I stand, yanking the curtain aside. Lil’s shocked face greets me, her hand still on Jason’s arm. The sight of them together, the implication of her words, it’s too much. I can’t fucking breathe.

I storm out of the room, ignoring Lil’s calls. I need to get away, away from her, away from the thought of her with him. It’s like a knife twisting in my gut and then being ripped out.

“Sebastian, wait!” Lil’s voice echoes behind me, but I keep walking, my jaw clenched so tight it hurts.

“Please.” A hand grabs my wrist from behind.

I stop. Lil, slightly out of breath, walks around to face me, not letting go of my wrist. Her touch burns, a bittersweet reminder of what I’ve lost. If she wants me again, she’ll have to be the one to say it.

Please say it. Please say you care.

“Does it hurt much?”

Chapter 33

Lilian

“Does it hurt much?” My fingers tremble as they gently roam over each cut and bruise on Sebastian’s handsome face.

When I heard about the fight, I grabbed my bag and came straight here. All I could think about was him.

The skin around his eye is swollen and discolored, a painful-looking purple that makes my heart ache. I probe over the split in his bottom lip with my fingertips, remembering how soft they felt against mine not so long ago.

Can we ever go back to the way things were?

I look up into his eyes, and I’m struck. The usual vibrant green of his irises is dull, almost lifeless, with only the faintest flickers of gold remaining. It’s as if the light inside him has been extinguished, replaced by a numb emptiness.

“Not as much as seeing you with him,” he says.

“What?”

Sebastian doesn’t answer right away and keeps looking at me with those haunted eyes like he’s searching for something he’s lost. When he finally speaks, his voice is rough and raw with emotion. “You and Jason. Are you together now?”

“What? No.” I step closer. “I was just worried about him. About… both of you.”

He looks down. “Right. Because you care so much about me.”

“I do care about you. More than I should.” And despite everything.

Tears blur my vision as he meets my eyes again.

“I’m sorry.” His thumb sweeps away the tear that escaped. “I should have told you the truth from the beginning. But I was afraid… afraid of losing you.”

“I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“Yes. You’re here. But you’re not with me.”

“I—”

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