Page 382 of Releasing 10
She was ingrained in every fundamental life choice I had made from the age of seven.
Getting over her wouldn’t happen overnight. If it took an equal measure of time to unlove a person, then I had nine years of misery to contend with.
I was sixteen now, so that meant I would be twenty-five before she finally left my system.
Fuck, it wasn’t even close to being fair.
Because I didn’tchoosethis.
Ididn’twant us to end.
I would have spent the rest of my life beside her if she could have just shown me the same commitment.
For a while, I wasn’t sure if Catherine and Liz were going to let go, but eventually they did.
“Hugh,” Liz sniffled, as her father led her away. “You can’t tell anyone where I’m going.”
Rising from my chair, I moved to intercept them before it was too late.
I didn’t care how pathetic it made me look; I needed to hold her one more time.
“I won’t tell, Liz,” I said, pulling her in for a hug. “I promise.”
“Please,” she strangled out, gripping me tightly. “Not even your mam.”
“Not even Mam,” I confirmed gruffly, feeling my heart shatter in my chest. “Nobody is going to know anything about this.” My voice sounded calmer than I felt. Because the truth of the matter was, I was losing my shit internally. I would never let her see that, though. Liz didn’t need tears. She needed strength. “You’re going to go away for a little while and get some rest,” I coaxed,pulling back to smile at her. “And no one in town is going to be any the wiser.”
“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, fisting my shirt. “I want to die for what I’ve done to you.”
Somehow, I managed to smile. “Just get better, okay?”
“You’ll be there when I come home?”
Pain.
It scorched me.
“Of course.”
A few minutes later, when they were gone and I was left alone with Catherine, I heard her say, “You lied to her, didn’t you?” Tears filled her eyes. “You won’t be there when she comes home.”
Shaking my head, I roughly wiped my tears away. “I’m sorry.”
PART 21
Turning Over a New Leaf
HIBERNATING HEARTS AND WATERY BRIDGES
Hugh
JANUARY 8, 2004
“IDON’T GET WHY SHE WOULDN’T TELL ME,” CLAIRE COMPLAINED, CARRYING ON THEconversation that had started at the breakfast table this morning all the way to the halls of Tommen. “Liz just leaves and doesn’t tell anyone?”
“She told me,” I reminded her, reeling off my perfectly rehearsed excuse. “She texted me last night.”
“But you guys aren’t even a couple anymore,” my sister groaned, worrying her lip. “Why wouldn’t she tell me that she was going to Spain? And what about school?”
