Page 66 of Cross My Heart

My eyes fly open at that, and I gasp. “You can’t…”

“Fuck.Fuck. I know.” But there are tears in his eyes. “But us? Noah, I’m still leaving her.”

My stomach drops. “I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t know how to make you see the way I feel, Noah.” Tyler’s voice grows in volume, and I tense. “I thought I had more time. I just found a lawyer the week before you came home! I was getting my affairs in order. The bar. I’m sorry!”

I say nothing.

Instead, I lift him by his hips and set him on the couch next to me. Fully prepared to walk away from him, I get up and walk toward my room.

“Where the hell are you going?” Tyler growls, clearly done with me and my bullshit. I hear his footsteps hot behind me, and right before I can make it to the bedroom, he grabs my arm and pulls me toward him, then shoves my back against the wall. My stitches pull, and I wince. “We’re not done.”

I close my eyes in exasperation, my back breaking into a cold sweat. I need to get away from him or I’ll keep making mistake after mistake. I’ll be weak?—

“Please, Noah. Please,” Tyler begs, and my stomach drops. “I’m telling the truth. Don’t shut me out.”

I feel tears stinging the back of my eyes, and when I open them to look at him, I feel one betray me and trail down my cheek. Tyler kisses it away, and I melt into the wall. “You broke my heart, Ty.” My voice cracks on his name, my vocal cords strangled. “You broke my heart the way you said you wouldn’t.”

“I’m gonna fix it, Noah,” he whispers, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. Electricity courses down my spine at the soft touch, and I inhale sharply. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I’m getting divorce papers ready. I promise you?—”

“Don’t promise me,” I reply with venom. “Show me.”

“I’ll show you.”

And I want to believe him.

I just also don’t know if I should.

Chapter 35

NOAH

“Michaels!” I shout, but in his haste to reach me, he steps on something he shouldn’t and suddenly he’s airborne. “Jeremiah!” I scream this time.

His leg has been blown off, and he’s screaming, the sound piercing my ears until my hands begin to shake.

I gasp and stir as I hear a sound coming from outside my room, then frown. Sitting up, I rub my head as if it holds all the answers. Clearly, that was a memory—a memory of Jeremiah and possibly how he died. If I’m remembering things already, does that mean I’ll remember everything I lost in the past six months?

Laughter rings out loudly, Scarlett’s and a man’s I don’t recognize, and I look at my phone. It’s seven p.m. and I have been sleeping for hours, fully clothed. I never sleep with jeans on, so I don’t really know how I accomplished that. It must be the pain medication.

I get out of bed and open the door, just to find Scarlett, Tyler, and a stranger playing Uno on the coffee table in front of the couch. I run a hand through my hair and begin to walk backwards, hoping I can get out of here undetected when the stranger locks eyes with mine.

“Look who’s here,” he says to Scarlett and Tyler. “He rose from the dead.”

“That’s not fucking funny,” Tyler snaps, and I roll my eyes, knowing the man didn’t mean anything by it.

“My bad.” He winces.

“You’re good,” I say softly, and he smiles at me with gratitude. “What’s your name?”

“Thomas.”

“Nice to meet you.” I cross the space across the living room and offer him my hand, shaking his firmly. I look over at Tyler, who is looking at Thomas like he could kill him, and frown. What the hell is his problem now? “I would join you, but I suck at Uno.”

“How does one suck at Uno?” Thomas raises an eyebrow.

“He’s a sore loser,” Scarlett says with a grin.

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