Page 62 of One Lovely Lie

“There’s nothing to do,” he insists, his voice pained as he yanks his hands away from me. “Don’t you see that? I’m going to Germany and you’re going to marry Florence.”

I gape at him and furiously shake my head. “No.No. You’re kidding, right? You have to be kidding. We have other options.”

“And what are those options, Daniel?” he snaps, throwing his hands in the air. “You want to run your father’s company and I want that money. There’s nothing we can do to stop this from happening and you know it.”

“I absolutely don’t know it!” I shout, wanting to slap the foolishness out of him. “You’re not making any sense!”

“Fine! What would you do, Daniel? What’s the brilliant plan in your head?”

Truthfully, there is no brilliant plan. I don’t even have a stupid one. I expected that I would meet Magnus here and we’d brainstorm together, but all I can focus on is his resistance, his defeat. It’s so odd that I almost feel like it stems from something else that I can’t quite place.

I lick my dry lips as I say the first thing that comes to mind. “Let’s walk away.”

“What?” he gasps. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, we could give it all up. Let’s do that, Mag. Let’s give it all up,” I suggest, moving closer to him because why won’t he fucking touch me? “It’ll be tough but we’ll have each other—”

He shakes his head furiously as he gently pushes me away, shutting his eyes in the process. He can’t even look at me. “I can’t do that.”

“But…”

“No, Daniel. Iwon’tdo that.”

The wordwon’tstops me. There’s a difference between can’t and won’t. Can’t means something is preventing you from doing so. Won’t means you won’t even try because you don’t want to.

My breathing starts to pick up—heavy and labored—because he doesn’twantto do it.

“S-So where does that leave us?” I stutter out pathetically, wrapping my arms around my middle because it’s suddenly cold and I didn’t bring a jacket.

I thought Magnus would keep me warm.

He drops his head as if collecting himself. His fists clench and unclench by his sides. I can see how heavy his breathing is as his chest rises and falls. When he looks up, I know this won’t end the way I want it to.

Because all the worry is gone. All the patience is gone. All the love is gone.

It’s all replaced by a cold and cruel determination that makes his dark eyes void.

“There’s no us anymore,” he whispers, pressing his knuckles against his mouth and looking to the side. “There should never have been in the first place.”

“I…I don’t know why you’re acting this way, but stop,” I whisper and I have no idea why I’m still standing because my legs feel like jelly beneath me. “Please, stop.”

“I was never meant to be this guy, Daniel. I’m just not cut out to be a boyfriend. That’s not me. It’s better if we just end this.”

“You’re not serious. You’re lying to me. Why are you doing this? It’s just money.”

“It’s not just money!” he finally snaps. “It’s my future! It’s your future! We weren’t meant to be friends forever! We need to grow up!”

“You sound like your father,” I spit at him, trying to tap into rage instead of crippling sadness. “You fucking hate your father.”

“Well, he’s right.”

“I…” I’m crying now. Full-on tears streaming down my face. My heart is cracking, my bones are breaking, and my mind is fracturing. “I thought you loved me!”

He shakes his head as he gulps. “I do…just not like you love me.”

And that’s what does it. That’s what breaks me. It’s the fear I’ve always had that he tried to make go away. It’s the idea that I’ll always be the one that comes in second place. That I was never worthy of his love to begin with.

“I should go.”

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