I could feel my blood pressure rising. He’d taken me to a restaurant I didn’t even like. And it hadn’t been until days after my birthday, a week after our anniversary. At the time, I’d brushed it off. Made excuses for his behavior. But now…now,I was finally seeing things clearly. And I didn’t like what I saw.
“I need to pack.” I enunciated the words slowly.
“How long can it take? Just throw a few things in your bag. Come on.” He grabbed my shoulder, ushering me toward the door.
“No. Stop!” I shouted, surprising both of us with my sudden outburst. I never yelled, rarely even voiced my opinion. “Juststop.”
I backed away from him. We stared at each other—me panting, him confused.
“You seem stressed, babe.”
You think?My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. I’d barely slept or eaten, and he couldn’t take a moment to think about what I needed? Let alone wanted?
“I’m not going,” I finally said.
“We can pick somewhere else if you don’t want Italian.”
“No.” I steeled myself. “I’m not going to Wharton.”
As soon as I said the words aloud, I knew they were the right ones. I’d barely admitted it to myself, but I felt calmer. More at peace. And with the admission came a clarity that had been lacking until now.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Nico snapped. “Of course, you’re going to Wharton. You’d be a fool not to.” He stepped closer, tempering his condescension as he always did. “It’s all part of our plan.” He rubbed my shoulders.
I scoffed, even as my confidence faltered. “No. It’s part ofyourplan. Not mine.”
He jerked his head back, unaccustomed to that answer from my lips. It felt good. Freeing, and it spurred me on despite my doubts, despite my fears.
“Okay. Okay. Let’s talk about this,” he said, softening his tone. I could tell he was beginning to realize just how serious I was. “Is this because I shot down your idea for a coaching business? Because I’m just trying to save you from embarrassment and failure. I’m sorry, babe. I don’t care how mature you are—no one wants advice from a twenty-three-year-old.”
I pressed my lips together, wishing I’d never told him about my dream to start a life coaching business. I was passionate about helping others. And after volunteering at the women’s shelter, I wanted to use my skills to empower other women to take charge of their own futures.
It wasn’t worth getting into. Not again. “No. It’s not about that.”
At least not entirely. I couldn’t deny that his casual dismissal of my idea hurt. I’d been brainstorming for months, and he’d shut me down without even hearing me out.
“Are you sure? Because I know how you hate—”
“Nico. Stop.” I clenched my jaw. The fact that he needed me to explain this to him, meant it was even worse than I’d realized. “I’m done.”
“You finished grading?” He smiled. “Great.”
“No.” I shook my head, clenching my fists as I prepared to say the words that would change everything. “I’m done with this—us.”
“Now, Sumner…” He reached out, but his expression was patronizing and completely contradicted his words. “Don’t be like that. I’ve just been—”
“Busy at work? Distracted?” I threw all his previous excuses back in his face, each one spoken with more venom than the last. “Yeah. I’ve heard all that before.”
“Take a few deep breaths,” he said, though he was the one who seemed stressed. “You’re…overwhelmed. It’s the end of the semester. It’s the holidays. But there’s no need to act crazy.”
“Crazy?” I scoffed.
I turned and headed for the bedroom, throwing my things in a suitcase. Nico hovered behind me, pacing the floor as he wrung his hands. Yeah. Maybe I was a bit crazy, thinking that I meant something to him. That he loved me.
“Okay. Okay. I’ll get a ticket to LA. It’ll cost a small fortune, but I’ll do it if that’s what will make you happy.”
I ignored him and continued on. What had I ever seen in him?
He was older. Handsome. Brilliant. Prestigious.
