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I tear my gaze away from Garrett to meet Harrison's concerned eyes. "Yeah, everything's fine," I reply, forcing a weak smile. "I, uh, just dropped my key."
I reach down to get it again and shove it angrily in my pocket. Of course, this stupid key makes me feel like a klutz right when Garrett is trying to waltz himself back into my life, like that would ever happen anyway.
I feel both of them watching me.
Then, Garrett reaches for me, and I take a step back, letting him know full well that I’m not about to let him lay so much as a finger on my body. "I know I hurt you, Breanna, and I'll never forgive myself for that," he admits, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Forgive yourself?" I scoff, shaking my head in disbelief. "You think saying sorry is enough to make up for everything you did? You think you can just waltz back into my life like nothing ever happened?"
"You’re the one who left me, Breanna," Garrett replies, his voice now taking on a tone of anger, the anger that highlighted the edge of so many of our memories. "I’m not the one who gave up on our relationship after making a promise to get married.”
I clench my teeth. I can’t believe he’s pretending that I should have gotten married to him and put myself through who knows how many miserable years of marriage just because I accepted his proposal. “No, just no. I have nothing else to say to you.”
“Do we want to move this inside?” Harrison suggests, glancing past me like the neighbors might be watching with binoculars.
For a moment, we all three stand there in awkward silence, the weight of our heavy words hanging in the air between us. Then, Garrett clears his throat, breaking the tension.
As we step inside Harrison's house, the tension between Garrett and me becomes too much. Harrison shoots us a curious glance before disappearing into the kitchen, leaving us alone in the foyer as though we might want time alone with each other.
I don’t know about Garrett, but I don’t need any time alone with him. I’ve said what needed to be said, and I feel like I’m going to explode if I continue to stand by him.
But then, I see it- the subtle change that comes over Garrett when he switches “modes.” He’s changing from pleading and sad and “poor little me” to guilt tripping. Now, he’s switching from guilt tripping to anger.
I feel some of my old trepidation setting in.
As Garrett’s eyebrows take on their familiar angry angle and his jaw pops, I feel a chill of unease ripple through me, his sudden shift in demeanor bringing back another wave of memories, memories of rip-roaring fights at two a.m. His eyes narrow, his jaw clenched tightly as he takes a step closer, his voice low and filled with simmering intensity.
"You want to act like you’re all high and mighty now? It’s not over until I say it’s over," he demands, his tone edged with frustration.
I swallow hard, feeling a knot form in the pit of my stomach as I meet his gaze, trying to steady my nerves. I wonder if Harrison knows who his brother truly is. He said that he hasn’t seen him in years. Would he take Garrett’s side or mine?
How well do I truly know any of these people?
Panic fills my stomach, but I can’t back down. I’ve always backed down. I’ve let him win every damn argument until I just slipped quietly out the door one day while he was at work. "I mean exactly what I said," I reply, my voice steady but tinged with a hint of defiance. "I can't do this anymore, Garrett. We're not right for each other. It’s over."
His nostrils flare as he takes in my words, his fists clenching at his sides as he struggles to contain his anger. "Breanna, really think about this. You are nothing without me," he growls, his voice laced with bitterness.
I take a step back, the tension between us palpable as I try to maintain my composure. I want to placate. Placating him was what kept our relationship together for so long. It’s how I got through a lot of arguments, but I can’t fall back into that old trap.
I take a deep breath. My voice trembles slightly despite my efforts to remain calm. "I need to do what's best for me, and that means ending things between us."
“You left without saying anything. Who does that? I thought you had died!”
Great, he’s circling back to guilt tripping. I shake my head, glancing behind Garrett to make sure that Jaxon still hasn’t realized I’m here. I don’t want him to see me like this. “I left that way because of this. If I told you I was leaving, I didn’t know… what you’d do.”
“You’re just living off my brother. You’re nothing without him. When he fires you, everything you said about your parents…well, too bad for you.” Garrett laughs, but there is no mirth behind the chuckles.
I regret telling Garrett about my parents, but we were together when they died. I was grieving them so hard that I missed work for a week. It wasn’t like I couldn’t tell him. He knows about the debt. He just doesn’t know the extent of it.
Garrett's eyes flash with anger, his face contorting into a mask of rage as he takes another step forward, his voice rising with each word. "You're making a mistake, Breanna. You'll regret this," he seethes, his words cutting through the air like a knife. His voice is low, but his words still have a little effect over me.
I feel a surge of fear coursing through me, my heart pounding in my chest as I realize the depth of his anger. But I refuse to back down, standing my ground as I meet his gaze with a steely resolve.
"I'm sorry, Garrett," I say, my voice firm but tinged with sadness. "But this is the right decision for both of us."
With that, I turn on my heel and storm out of the foyer, leaving Garrett standing alone in the hallway. A wave of anger and resentment washes over me, fueling my determination to put the past behind me and move on with my life.
Jaxon meets me just as I’m entering the living room, and Harrison looks up at me curiously.
