Page 99 of The Lake House

He sucks in a deep breath. “Look, Giules. I love you, okay? You mean everything to me. I will not let one little hiccup screw up everything we have. Because that’s all this was. A tiny bump in the road. That’s not going to keep me away.”

“But it should,” I murmur.

He looks deeply into my eyes when he realizes I have nothing else to say. “Giules?”

I let out a long-winded sigh. “Declan, you have been nothing but wonderful to me, and please know that Idolove you with all my heart. I appreciate everything that you’ve done, making me feel safe, making me feel loved, and just letting me feel. You let me feel whole once again when I had been nothing but broken for so long.”

He nods.

But I have more to add, and I’m not done yet. “But with all that being said, I can’t allow you to continue putting yourself out there for me. I can’t allow you or Lily to feel pain because of me.”

“What?” He says, searching my eyes desperately.

I push up onto my tippy toes and place a soft kiss on his forehead. “Good-bye, Declan.”

As much as it hurts, as much as I hate what’s happening right now, I suck in a deep breath and walk up the porch steps.

“Giuliana…. Please!” Declan begs.

But I don’t turn around.

I don’t stop and continue walking until I reach my front door.

This time, I can’t hold the tears back any longer, but I don’t let Declan hear me cry.

Before he has a chance to come after me and try to stop me, I turn the knob and make my way inside.

I let out a wailing cry, sobbing. I let go of everything I had been holding onto inside of me, and then I slam my back against the door and drop to my knees. The tears keep streaming down my face, and as I spend God knows how long in that very position, Cheryl’s words echo in my brain, letting me know I did the right thing.

ChapterThirty-Five

DECLAN

My heart hurts.

I can literally feel it breaking.

Shattering.

Disintegrating.

Fuck…

I thought I felt pain when Claire left me with the baby years ago, but it was nothing compared to the emptiness that I feel right now that Giuliana has ended it with me.

I keep going over the events from two weeks ago in my head, but I just can’t make any sense of it. Nothing makes sense. It came out of nowhere.

Her stupid ex came along and ruined everything. Thank God I got there when I did. I was able to protect her, and I saw it in her eyes that she appreciated it. That she was thankful for me.

But for some fucking reason, she pulled away and walked away.

I’ve been calling and texting her with no response. I even went to see her, but she wasn’t home. I waited outside for her with a big bouquet of flowers, chocolates, and a humongous teddy bear that Lily would have died for, but she never showed up. I’m guessing she stayed with Liv, and I reached out to her, but she just said Giules wasn’t available.

I mean, I get it.

I didn’t expect her best friend to take my side. But in this instance, I kind of wished she would have.

“Dec, you’ve gotta eat,” Cheryl says, looking at me from across the table.

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