Page 157 of From Best Friend to Bride
The door that linked our bedrooms burst open, and I opened my eyes to see Fred filling the empty doorway, staring at me with wide, panicked eyes.
His cheeks were flushed, and anxiety radiated off every inch of his body in thick waves. Even his knuckles were white as he grabbed the doorknob, and he looked…
Well, he looked like I’d just ruined his life.
“What are you—”
“What did you just say?” His voice was unlike anything I’d ever heard from him before. It was low, cold, almost threatening, and a chill ran up my arms at the intense look in his eyes.
I swallowed.
Why is he so angry?
“We should end this,” I said softly, unable to take my eyes off him. “Our marriage has served its purpose. And I… I can’t do this anymore, Fred.”
His chest heaved. “Do what?”
“This!” I pushed off the door, throwing my arms out. “I can’t keep being rejected by you, all right? It’s my fault, because you made it very clear from the start that there’d never be anything physical between us. But I’m only human, for fuck’s sake. I have feelings, and it hurts!”
Something flashed across his gaze. “You know why I—”
“Yeah, because you don’t want to lose our friendship!”
But it’s too late. It’s already dead. We can never come back from this.
“But you’re going to. You can’t have me as your wife and keep me in the friend zone. That isn’t fair.”
He drew in a sharp breath, as if my words had physically stabbed him.
“So, let me go,” I whispered, feeling my heart crack in two. “If you really want to save what’s left of our friendship, get the annulment papers. Divorce papers. Whatever they are. Let me leave.”
He stared at me then.
Really stared at me.
And the pain that flashed through his eyes hit the deepest part of me, ripping my soul in two.
Why was he looking at me like that?
He didn’t get to do that. He didn’t get to look at me like I’d reached into his chest and torn his heart right out of it. Not when he was the reason I was doing this.
If he wanted to save our friendship that badly, then he would do it. He’d get the papers right now so we could move on.
“You… want to leave?” he asked, clenching his fists at his side. “Is it because of last night? Or just now?”
I shook my head. “I can’t do this anymore. If something doesn’t change, there’ll be no friendship left to come back to, Fred. So, please. I’ll beg you on my knees if I have to. End this marriage before it’s too late.”
“No.”
“No?” Shock sent me back into the door. “What do you—”
“No,” he repeated. “Just… Tell me what I did wrong, Deli. I’ll fix it. Just don’t leave.”
I shook my head again, turning away from him.
“Deli—”
“You don’t want me.” The words escaped, unbidden, and my voice cracked halfway through. “You don’t want me,” I whispered again, closing my eyes. “And I can’t take being rejected by you again, so please let me go.”
