Page 56 of Ruined Promises

“Lex?” I shout again. Hadley places her gentle hand on my chest, stopping me.

“Ben.” The tone of her voice tells me she at least understands exactly what is going on. I know she will be on her side and tell me whatever she needs to. There are no limits when it comes to her or Brynn protecting Lex—this situation I would to be no different.

“I just need to know she’s okay,” I plead, ready to drop to my knees and beg.

“I don’t know where she is.” She is blatantly lying to me.

“Hadley, please.” The tears I’ve been fighting to release finally fall, and I don’t bother wiping them away.

Tear filled eyes match my own. “Ben, I’m sorry. I think you should go.”

“I—” I almost admit for the second time that I’m in love with her, but it’s not Hadley I should be telling.

Hadley’s shoulders sag as she takes in my distraught appearance. “I know” is all she says before she walks back, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze, and closes the door behind her.

I somehow leave the apartment in a total haze, feeling just as broken as I did the night I received the call alerting me of my parent’s accident.

* * *

I hear the front door close and hug the pillow tighter. I felt the heartbreak in his voice as he shouted my name. It was as if someone took a sledgehammer to the already shattered pieces of my heart.

I begin to cry again, a nonstop flow since I walked out of his house. Hadley pulls me into her arms. I rest my head in her lap as she strokes my hair in a gentle motherly manner. She has always been the one to take care of us in our group.

“Do you think I made a mistake?” I ask in between tears. I taste the salty liquid on my lips as I don’t even bother wiping them away anymore.

She remains silent and pauses her movement. I push up to look my best friend in the eye. Her blue eyes are undecided and questioning her next words.

“Had?” Her lack of speech makes me start to wonder.

“All I’m going to say is that you were with Dominic for three years, and I saw the aftermath of what that breakup did to you, and this—” She points to my current state. “—well, it was nothing compared to the heartbreak I’m witnessing right now. That has to mean something, right?”

Hadley is right, though; the pain I felt witnessing my relationship implode before my very eyes is nothing compared to the pain I feel right now. Ben and I may not have been together long, but he weaved his way through my veins and in my heart. A heart that will never feel complete.

But this isn’t just about me anymore. I don’t know the lengths or extremes Dominic is willing to go. If he went public with false accusations that I earned my career by anything other than my hard work, it would bring negative light to the company, tarnish the brand that Paul worked so hard to make, and would make success that much harder for Ben. Maritime Media was built on integrity. Everything it stands for would be jeopardized. I can’t let that happen.

Once was a coincidence, but twice falling in love with my boss—or in Dominic’s case, related to—I get how it would look. The long hours, sleepless nights, and dedication to this company and making sure the job is done not only correctly, but well, would no longer matter. I would be ridiculed, forced to leave the company for my own good. No one would ever hire me. My career would be over. But if my relationship with Ben has taught me anything, it’s that sometimes there is more to live then the perfect job. But can I manage seeing Ben every day and still do the job at hand?

I adjust, putting my head back into her lap before I let my tears consume me, and her words stay in the front of my mind as I finally drift off to sleep.

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