Page 51 of Reckless Roses
“Are you that desperate, Elena? For my attention? Foranyattention? Whoring yourself out to anyone who will give you the time of day?”
Flames rage through my veins. I lift my head, meeting his stare, unflinching. “Excuse me?”
His jaw clenches. “It could’ve been anyone else.Anyone else.”
“No, Zach. I don’t think it could,” I snap. “Because it doesn’t seem to matter when you’ve already decided I’m a piece of fucking property to you.”
“You never would’ve ended up with him if I hadn’t left.”
I smile, because what I say next will break him—and I can never seem to stop myself from spewing the venom. “Thank Godyou did then, right? Maybe you should go again. For good this time?”
His face twists in pain. It’s not the anger or the fury I’m used to when we battle like this. No, it's a genuine defeat. I’m witnessing Zach give up right in front of my eyes, and while part of me wants to weep for it, it’s relief that washes through me.
We’re one step closer to putting all this behind us. He’s one step closer to acceptance.
“You called it right,” I whisper. “He loves me in all the ways you never could. For the first time, I realized what being in love actually feels like. I’m just sorry you and I got caught up in our shit for as long as we did. I should’ve chosen him from the start. I would’ve saved all of us a lot of pain. So,” I shrug, “I’ll apologize for that much.”
He nods, disbelief and utter devastation pouring over his features. “You know, I did try. I really did.” He spins on his heel, grasping the door handle before tossing one last sentence in my direction—the one that’ll shatter me. “But you are impossible to love.”
Without another word, Zachary Hayes walks out of my life once again. The door slams as I slide to the floor, finally allowing my tears to spill, because something about the echo of it clamoring through my chest feels final.
19
AUGUST
“EPIPHANY” - TAYLOR SWIFT
OCTOBER SECOND
“You fucked my girlfriend?”
My brother’s voice rages against the back of my head. I quickly rise and turn to face him. The wind gusts across our faces, causing the waves to crash harder against the sand behind us.
“She’s not your girlfriend.”
He scoffs, eyes bulging. “That’s all you have to say?”
“We haven’t had sex yet.”
Zach’s jaw trembles, and he looks away as he scoffs. “Formonths,Augustus.Months. Behind my back and lying to my fucking face.”
“I didn’t lie to your face,” I say softly. “I lied into your ears because I felt it was best to tell you in person. I wanted to wait until you got home.”
“So you’ve been sneaking around with her? Keeping it from everyone?”
“It wouldn’t have been fair to ask our family or friends to lie to you, too.”
“Thanks so much for taking that into consideration.” He laughs, but it’s humorless. “Why her? Of every woman on this goddamn planet, why her?”
“If you’re asking that question, it proves exactly why you never deserved her to begin with.”
It’s almost imperceptible, but his face softens.
“Admit it. You only loved her because she was mine first.”
“Bullshit.” I roll my eyes, unwilling to even entertain that idea. “I did not love herbecauseof you. I loved her inspiteof you. Every time you broke her heart and she came to me with tears streaming down her face, I fixed it, knowing she’d go crawling back to you. For years, I watched you ruin each other, and I stayed back—because I prioritized both of your happiness over my own.
“So, no. I will not apologize to you. I will not feel guilty for repairing what you broke, for cherishing what you threw away.” I toss my board down at our feet, taking a step toward him. “I know you’re angry with me right now. I know you feel betrayed, and I understand it. I understand it because you’ve made me feel that way too.” I point at him, nearly close enough to poke his chest. “So you can rage right now. You can hit me if you need to, but eventually, I need you to understand—it was always going to be her and me, and we’reallgonna be better for it.”
