Page 81 of Recklessly You
“It doesn’t matter. Our time has come to an end.”
A tear skates down her cheek, and I hate myself for making her cry.
“I thought what we had was special,” she says. “We’ve been living together for the past few months. This was not some hook-up. It was more, and you know it.” Her voice cracks, and her chin trembles.
I shove my hand in my pocket, distracting myself from the almost overpowering need to hold her. I can’t let her have the life my mom and I had. If something happened to me or, worse, to her…Last night’s incident proved how easily I could have lost her.
I’d rather set her free than lose her.
“It was, but it was temporary.”
She shakes her head, determined, and wipes her tears off. “It wasn’t…it was real. I felt it in here.” She points to her heart. “I’m in love with you, Liam.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.
Those words are a sledgehammer to my chest. My heart bleeds out with her confession. No woman has ever uttered those words to me.
No, no, she can’t.
“You’re not in love with me. You think you are, but you’re not.” I refuse to look at her; instead, I focus on the asphalt of the empty parking lot.
She steps closer, pressing my cheeks with her warm palms, and I can feel her breath against my skin. Her tears glisten in the streetlight, and I can hear the faint sound of her muffled sobs. The touch of her gentle palms is like fire coursing through my veins.
“I know what I feel. Don’t tell me what I feel or don’t feel. I know you feel something for me. Liam, I’ve never felt this way about anyone.” Her voice is pleading. “I can love you for both of us. I love y—”
I shove her hands away and step back. A weight thuds on my chest, knocking the air out of my lungs.
I’ll hate myself for this for the rest of my existence, but I need her to walk away hating me. I lock eyes with her and give her a disdainful look, shaking my head.
“It was fun while it lasted, Sophie. We were just fucking. You were nothing more than a good fuck. Time to move on.” The bitterness thickens into a dry, sour sludge. My pulse leaps in my throat. The sound of my words disgusts me.
Her mouth hangs open, but she quickly regains herself. She lifts her chin, squaring her shoulders—that’s it, baby. Don’t let my words break you.
She bares her teeth. “Nothing more than a good fuck, huh? Now you can add me to your list of great fucks, and I’ll add you to my list of assholes.”
I turn to walk to my car. Watching the only woman who’s ever mattered to me break, shatters my heart. I didn’t even know my heart could break for a woman.
“Liam,” she shouts.
I stop in my tracks, giving her my back.
“Please don’t leave me.” Her whisper is faint, but I hear it.
My eyes water for the first time in years. I didn’t even cry at my father’s funeral. I stood like a robot, trying to be brave for my mom.
“The day you wake up and see what we had was real, it will be too late. The second you drive out of this parking lot,you lose me. I never want to cross paths with you again. I’m sorry you went through so much at a young age. I pray that somedayyou’ll find peace and find loveto heal that broken heart. Iguess I wished it could have beenme, who you feel in love with.” Her soft voice breaks on the last words.
Oh, baby, it will always be you.I want to turn around and wrap her in my arms, but I don’t—in order to save her. I need to let her go. My heart thumps loudly in my chest. I want to turn and stare into those eyes and memorize her. I gave this woman my soul. She can keep it. I know I’ll never find a woman like her. So, I do what I know will haunt me for the rest of my life. I get in my car and drive off into the dark night with my heart clawing at me. I leave her behind.
CHAPTER 28
SOPHIE
Is it possible to die from a broken heart? My heart shatters like glass as I watch Liam walk to his car without a backward glance. He slams his foot on the accelerator, and his car screeches out of the parking lot, spewing a shower of gravel. He speeds away, the red taillights fading in the darkness until they are only pinpricks in the night sky. I glance up at the twinkling stars as tears fall uncontrollably. Slowly, I walk to my car.
He left me.
Dumbfounded, I sit in my car and rest my head on the steering wheel. Last night, he made love to me. We danced before the shooting happened. I know what we had was more, or maybe it was one-sided. I poured my heart out and told him I loved him, and he left me. I figured we were moving forward once he expressed his horrific childhood. I meant what I said. I hope he finds peace. But the idea of Liam finding love with someone else cuts like a knife. His words echo in my heart.
You were nothing more than a good fuck.
