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“What’s wrong. Tell me so I can fix it,” he begs me.

“I’m not your fiancée. I’ll never be your wife. I’m always going to be your mistress, and nothing you buy me or say will ever change that,” I sob.

He holds me tighter. “Please don’t do this. I love you and only you,” he quietly says.

Everything comes out. “I know. But you have secrets with your wife. You tell her things. She will always be your number one priority.”

“That’s not true.”

I pull away from him and see tears running down his cheek. “It is. And it should be like that. She’s married to you. I’m not.”

“You’re my number one.”

I shake my head. “I’m not.”

“You are.”

“Then get a divorce.”

“I can’t, and you know why,” he cries out.

Because he has to protect her. He made a vow, twice, to her.

“I love you so much, but you need to leave.”

He looks hurt.“Doll, please don’t do this.”

I reach in my coat and pull out the ring. “This is yours.”

“No. It’s not. I chose it for you. It’s my promise to you,” he sternly says as his tear drips onto my cheek.

“You can’t promise me something when you have a wife. Maybe I’m the selfish one, but I can’t be your mistress.”

He cups my cheeks in his hands. “Stop saying that! You’ve never been and never will be my mistress. I’m not cheating on anyone.”

“I need you to leave. If you love me, you’ll leave.”

He closes his eyes momentarily. When he opens them, he kisses me on the forehead and turns and walks away. As the door shuts, I realize I’m still holding onto the ring.

26

Jamison

Present Day

“Stop! Everyone just stop!”Quinn yells through her tears and starts to sob.

I pull her into my arms, blinking back tears, and she allows me to hold her, but only for a moment before spinning and crying out, “Don’t. Nothing has changed.” She pushes me away, sobbing, and my heart shatters once more.

For the last week, I’ve been slowly dying without her. Seeing her and having her ignore me was hard enough. Watching her cry is like a knife cutting my heart into pieces.

Piper and Charlotte drag her away, and Piper yells, “The three of you can find another way home,” as they pull Quinn into Noah’s car.

“Quinn,” I yell and start toward the car, but Noah and Xander both grab me.

“Let them go, Jamison,” Xander says.

“Damn it,” I scream as the car pulls away.

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