Page 62 of Unraveling the Truth About Love
He looked at her then, and this time the meaning was clear. Pity. Before the sobs tore from her chest, she stormed from theroom.
“I don’t believe this,” she spat.
In the bedroom, she threw her clothes onto the bed. She was shaking so badly that she kept dropping them on the floor. She heard Josh enter the room, felt his arms touch her from behind. She stopped for a beat, then twisted away.
“You’re not the man I thought you were,” she said, more sad than angry. She scooped the clothes into her arms, grabbed thefew pairs of shoes she could hold on to, and headed for the front door.
“Riley, wait. Let’s talk about this.”
She hooked her purse with her finger and turned to face him. He stood with his shoulders rounded forward, his hair askew, and bags under his beautifully sad dark eyes. She loved him so much that every fiber of her being ached at his accusation. She couldn’t stay in that apartment. Shecouldn’t stay with him. No matter how much she loved him, she knew she had to leave. She gathered all of the courage she could muster, gripping the clothes tightly against her body—a shield between her and the hurt—and when she spoke, she barely recognized the sound of her own broken voice.
“The man I love would never have believed this farce in the first place. I’ll stay at Treat’s, and I’llget my stuff at some point. I’ll move out of Treat’s when I go home. I’m sorry, but please find someone else to run the show. Mia and Simone are great. They’ll do it.” She reached for the doorknob just as Josh touched her shoulders.
He rested his forehead on the back of her head. “Please, don’t do this.”
She clenched her eyes shut, damming the tears. Her heart screamed,Turn around! Hold him!Love him!Her mind screamed,Someone who loves you doesn’t do this.
“You already did,” she said.
