Page 132 of Breakaway Hearts

Miles tips his head back slightly, blowing out a breath. Then he nods, shuffling a few of the papers on his desk in something that looks like an unconscious habit.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” he tells me. “I’ll handle it.” His gaze shifts to my ex-girlfriend. “Sienna, please stay behind. You and I will need to schedule a meeting with HR. Please know, however, that this offense will likely result in your termination.”

Sienna’s lips press together, and if she has something more to say to Miles, I don’t care to hear it. Giving the older man a brief nod, I grab my bag and leave the room, closing the door behind me. I can hear their voices inside as I walk away, and a small surge of satisfaction fills me.

My plan to win Sienna back may have been crazy, but it wasn’t cruel. It wasn’t meant to hurt her or fuck up her life, which is exactly what she meant to do by leaking that story. I won’t be sorry if she loses her job over it. I’m only sorry that I wasted so much time being heartbroken over someone who could do something like that.

If I ever wondered how Callie could’ve ever dated an asshole like Austin, I shouldn’t have. Because apparently I was just as blind once when it came to my ex.

The lower level is quiet as I make my way to the parking lot, and I throw my bag into the trunk before sliding in behind the wheel. I grip the steering wheel, staring into space.

I should feel better, knowing where the leak came from and having dealt with it. And I do, a little. But the empty hole in my chest is still there, making it hard to breathe.

Because it didn’t change anything.

When I leave this arena, my house will still be empty.

Callie still won’t be there.

I drive home on autopilot, and even after pulling into the driveway, I don’t get out of the car.

This whole situation, everything that’s happened the last few weeks—hell, the last few months—feels like a tangled rope that, no matter how much I pull at it, won’t come unknotted.

Where did everything go wrong?

And worse, why did things have to go so right before that?

I can’t help but think that if Callie and I hadn’t started actually dating, the release of the article wouldn’t have been so devastating. We’d have ended the ruse, but I’d still have her. She’d still be in my life.

But would I take back everything that happened between us? The sex, the intimacy, the falling in love with her?

Fuck no.

Not in a million years.

The thought of never having known the joy of loving her sends splintering pain up and down my ribcage. I stare up at my house, which now seems obscenely large, but I can’t muster up the energy to get out of my car and go inside.

So I grab my phone, resisting the temptation to dial Callie’s number, and instead call Violet. Even if my sister is younger than me, she can usually offer up sage words of wisdom. Or knock some sense into me. Sometimes both.

The phone rings twice before Violet’s voice comes through.

“Reese!” I pull the phone away from my ear as she nearly shouts my name, wincing. “What’s going on? Why haven’t you answered any of my calls or texts? I almost booked a flight to Denver, I was so worried.”

“Hey, sis.”

“Hey?Don’t fucking ‘hey’ me, mister. ”

I laugh, and it feels like it’s the first time in a lifetime. I should’ve returned Violet’s worried phone calls over the past several days, but I couldn’t bear the thought of more pity.

“What’s going on?” she says, her voice a bit gentler this time. “Talk to me.”

“Not much,” I try to joke, but it falls flat. Violet clears her throat, and I sigh. “Well, you saw the article. I gathered that much.”

“I have a Google alert on your name,” she says.

“Good to know.” I scratch the back of my head and look up at the second floor of the house. The window of what became Callie’s room faces the front, and I imagine her painting up there, getting the best light and angle for her canvas and becoming completely lost in her own world.

“So?” Violet prods. “What’s going on? I’m guessing the article exaggerated a lot of things. It can’t be completely true, right?”

---