Page 281 of Love Me in the Dark

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She takes the envelope with shaking hands. The ID. The keys. That goddamn necklace from her childhood. All of it.

“She won’t leave.”

I don’t know who I’m trying to convince.

I’m watching her walk away.

But I don’t crack.

Not until I hear the sound of the engine turning over.

The crunch of gravel under the tires.

She’s leaving.

No.

She’s gone.

At first, there’s nothing but the buzzing static where my thoughts should be. My chest is too tight, my jaw clenched so hard I can hear my teeth grinding.

Until everything breaks.

I throw the tablet, watching numbly as it shatters against the mirror on the wall. But that’s not enough.

I grab the bedding and pull, tearing apart the room as though it’s what failed me.

I ruin it.

The way Ivy ruined me.

Because for the first time in my entire fucking life I gave someone a choice.

I asked her to choose.

And she did.

But she didn’t choose me.

11

IVY

The entire drive back to the city, my throat burns.

Because I wanted him to chase me.

Because I wanted Roman to need me the way he claimed to.

God I’m pathetic.

I fell into his bullshit.

And somehow, in the pit of my stomach, I know the truth.

Just like everyone else… Roman didn’t truly want me.

The drive to the city doesn’t take as long as I thought it would. Roman’s compound was gorgeous and stunning, leaving me feeling almost bereft as I head back toward familiarity.

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