Page 50 of One More Song

It’s too soon.

I get out of bed and gather my clothes, dressing quickly.

“Ember—”

“It’s okay, really. I get it.”

“You don’t have to worry about the money. You’ll get to keep the full amount and—”

I laugh harshly and turn on him, frustration and hurt making me want to lash out. “Great. I appreciate that.”

He stands and grabs his pants, shrugging them on. “I know you’re upset.”

Tears threaten, but I blink them away. “I’m not. I knew what this was when we started. I don’t expect anything from you.”

“Ember—”

I hold up my hand when he moves toward me. “Don’t. It’s fine. You have your life and I have mine. And honestly, I can’t worry about anything other than Cadence right now, so it’s probably best that you’re leaving.”

His eye twitches and his nostrils flare. “Right.”

We stand there in silence for a moment, and I feel my heart shattering, my insides breaking into a million pieces. But I won’t let him see it.

“I’m exhausted,” I say, opening the door. “And I need to get up early tomorrow.”

He hesitates, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t want things to end like this.”

“It was always going to end, Ash. This was just...sex.”

His lips thin and he nods. “Sure. I guess you’re right.” He walks out the door but stops to turn back to me.

I shut it before he can say anything else. Because there’s nothing else to say.

He’s leaving.

And I’m here.

And my whole world is collapsing around me.

I fall into bed, curling into a ball, the heaviness of the day finally taking its toll. Tears start, and they don’t stop until sleep finally consumes me.

Chapter Twenty

Ash

I need a drink.Or something stronger. Because I can’t get Ember’s eyes out of my head. The look of betrayal. The hurt.

And then her words.

It was always going to end, Ash. This was just sex.

That’s what it was supposed to be. What it should have stayed. But my heart got twisted up in hers. Ember made me feel things I didn’t think were possible.

At the Graveyard, I sit down at the bar and order a whiskey neat, telling the bartender to keep the bottle beside me. He lifts a brow, but nods.

Day drinking isn’t something I’ve done since I’ve been here. I’ve tried to stay clean. And I realize that I did it more for Ember than anything. But what’s the fucking point now? I’ve lost her.

Or maybe I never had her.

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