Page 56 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
I should laugh, or smile, anything to put him at ease, but the words are stuck. How can I explain? How can I skirt around the truth when it’s a blade twisting in my chest? Too heavy, too complicated, too painful.
“I can see it on your face. We did know each other. Speak your mind, please.”
He’s close enough now that I have to tip my chin up to look at him, and for a moment, I can almost believe he’s going to lean in and kiss me, as he did so many times that year.
Where do I even begin?
You were the love of my life, and I hated you for not chasing after me.
Too abrupt.
Someone is playing with your memories.
Too cryptic.
I still love you, and even though it’s selfish as hell, I need you to remember.
Too honest.
None of these options work, and before I know it, tears well up in my eyes, hot and heavy. I blink, trying to push them back, but they spill over my lids in fat, treacherous droplets that slide down my cheeks. I’m horrified by my lack of control, by how easily my composure shatters in front of him.
I move to clasp the glass ring he gave me, twisting it around my finger, wishing I had never put it on in the first place. I waited for him. That’s the truth. I waited for him fordecades, wishing and hoping, but as it turns out, the man I waited on doesn’t exist anymore.
And I can’t even fault him for it.
He catches my movements, and his brows pull together.
“That ring…” he grabs my hand and holds it up to the light.
“Don’t,” I jerk away, my voice breaking, desperate to escape before I crumble completely. “Excuse me.” I try to squeeze past him, but he curls an arm around my waist.
His hold is gentle, yet firm, and soAidanthat my heart somersaults.
“Who gave you that ring?” he chucks out.
Fire licks the shape of his shoulders. The familiar pull of his heat mollifies my bones, our chests rising and falling harder with each breath. His amber gaze flicks to my lips, my heart racing in spite of all measures of decency.
“You did,” I finally breathe.
Aidan stiffens from head to toe, frozen in place. “How can that be?” His hold on my waist slacks. “I’m about to get married.” The cracks in his voice are deeper and wider than the biggest chasms up on the Frost Peaks, and I’m not sure if he’s reminding himself that he’s about to walk down the aisle, or apologizing for it.
“I know.”
His jaw clenches, and he takes a small step back. “Why are you here, really? Why did you come?”
The unspoken accusation in his tone wrecks me.
“I-I shouldn’t have. I see that now.”
With the wedding being as rushed as it is, Heather is probably already pregnant. The thought strips away what’s left of my composure, and I slip out of reach, barreling down the aisle toward the exit.
“Elizabeth! Wait!” Aidan calls after me, and for a moment, I’m tempted to look back, to see if there’s any flicker of recognition in his eyes, any sign that his memories are not gone forever. But I can’t bear the emptiness I know I’ll find.
Tears blur my vision as I flee the bibliotheca. The door closes behind me with a soft thud, but the echo of his voice, the way he shouted my name, plagues my mind.
I can’t believe it’s almost time to change, so I can watch him get married to another woman.
Chapter 18
