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“Do you remember the day we first met? The day you tried to negotiate with the buyers and failed?”
I nod.
“That day, I was just about to give up on finding anyone I could trust with my vision. You stepped in and I just… I knew. You were perfect for me and for Vision Tech in every way. I have never regretted putting my work, my life, in your hands.”
I suck in a sharp breath and avert my gaze. It hurts too much to look at him.
“Nova.”
I turn slightly, unable to hide the tears.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to smother you.”
You didn’t.
“I didn’t mean to suffocate you.”
Oh, Adam, you didn’t.
“My whole life, I looked at problems and I solved them.” He scrubs the heel of his hand against his scruff.
He hasn’t shaved for days. It doesn’t matter. He’s still gorgeous. He’s still everything I could want and can’t have.
“It didn’t matter how impossible it seemed. I kept going after whatever was in my way until I solved it. That’s how I created my first invention. That’s what built Vision Tech—my inability to let something go.”
My chest rises and falls.
He stops and seems to gather himself. In a steadier, deeper voice, he says, “I’ll be different this time.” His eyes meet mine. “I won’t hold you back.”
I blink rapidly.
He decided to marry her.
I can see the resolve all over his face because I know him. I know him better than anyone.
Sharp prickles of sorrow and loss snap against my skin. Rubber bands pulled back to their limits, now allowed to snap free. The pain builds and builds into a tsunami that threatens to rip the floor from under me.
It doesn’t matter that I’m the one who set this plan into motion. It’s still agony.
“My only request is that you be happy.” His throat bobs. “You deserve that, Nova.”
I tuck my chin against my chest, my hands folded and my eyes swelling with tears. Holding them back is near impossible.
Adam straightens his shoulders. “That’s what I came to say.”
When he moves down the hallway, I find myself sprinting toward him. I have no recollection of giving my body that command, but I move fast. Faster. And then I’m behind Adam.
He senses my presence and faces me.
I tilt my head up. “Please take good care of A—” I stop. “Of yourself and Vision Tech and Rowan.”
Adam’s eyes dart between my own.
I curl into myself, wishing I could touch him. I just want to feel his skin on mine and smell his metal and sandalwood scent. I want to bury my head in his chest and tell him the truth. That I love him. That I want to stay by his side.
But I don’t.
“Nova,” Adam whispers my name with such emotion that it makes me groan. His hand comes up to my face.
