Page 50 of The Broken Keys

“You okay?” I reach for her, but she shifts away.

“Am I okay? Callum, you almost started a fight with Sebastian. Again.”

“He was going for you?—”

“He barely moved in my direction.” She touches her cheek as if remembering the last time this happened and she got nailed in the face by my elbow. “You went from zero to violence in about three seconds.”

“I was protecting you.”

“You were losing control.” She puts more distance between us. “Just like before.”

“That’s not fair, Lily. I’m not the same person I was five years ago.”

“Are you sure?” Her eyes search my face. “Because what I just saw looked exactly like the man who used to solve these kinds of problems with his fists.”

The accusation cuts deep because it’s partially true. For amoment there, I was exactly like the old Cash. Reckless, violent, and ready to destroy anything that threatened what was mine.

“Come on, Lily. One slip doesn’t erase my progress.”

“It doesn’t?” She picks up her purse and retreats behind walls I thought we’d started to tear down. “Maybe this is what it’ll always be like with you.”

“Livianna, don’t do this. Don’t let them win.”

But she’s already rushing toward the exit, leaving me standing in the strobing lights with the taste of failure bitter in my mouth.

The old Cash would’ve followed her, would’ve demanded she listen, and would’ve made this about his pain instead of hers.

The new Cash gives her a minute, wondering if maybe she’s right. Maybe underneath all the growth, therapy, and careful rebuilding, I’m still the same man who destroyed us the first time.

Over my dead body.

I stomp off to fix this mess.

Chapter Eleven

LIVIANNA/LILY

Now

First Love & New Love

When two worlds collide, how do you recover?

I’m halfway to the club’s exit when Callum catches up to me, his hand gentle on my elbow. The strobe lights cast fractured colors across his face, making him look like a broken kaleidoscope.

“Lily, wait.”

“I can’t do this, Callum. Not tonight.”

The desperation in his eyes almost breaks me.

“Please.” He steps closer, blocking out the noise behind him. “Don’t let Zara and Sebastian ruin what we’re building.”

“This isn’t about them.” I pull out my phone, fingers trembling as I try to call for a ride. “This is about your reaction to them. This is about me not knowing if I can trust the man you’ve become, or if you’re still the same person who…”

“Who what?” He gives a subtle shake of his head. “Who hurt you before? Who let other people manipulate me anddestroy everything good in my life? Zara being that direct source.”

The agony in his confession stops me cold. Around us, the music thrums and bodies move, but we’re frozen in our own bubble of devastation.