“Was it? Do you love me?” Her voice cracked.
The sound tore his chest open, ripping out his heart. She’d asked him the same question in her apartment, and he hadn’t been able to give her an answer then either.
Yes, he loved her. The thought of not having her in his life crushed him. He loved her so much, and it was why he needed to do this for her. One day when she had the family she’d always dreamed of, she’d thank him just like Layla had.
“Do you love me? Yes or no.” Chloe’s voice rose as she asked the question again.
He drew in a deep, shuddery breath and hoped the words he was about to speak sounded convincing. “I wish I could tell you what you want to hear. We’re friends, I care for you, but it’s not love,” he lied. He lied through his teeth.
Her lips rolled inward, and she nodded. “Okay, sorry to have wasted your time.”
“Chloe, I’m sorry.” He reached out to her, but she stepped away. His arm dropped to his side.
“Goodbye, Theo.” Her voice wobbled, and tears welled in her eyes. She spun away and raced out of the office. The door closed after her with an audible click, signaling the end of this time in his life.
“Fuck!” Theo swiped his arm over the desk, scattering paperwork over the floor. He linked his fingers together, cupped the back of his head, and took several deep breaths. What was he supposed to do now?
Blake walked into the room. “Was that Chloe running into the elevator? She looked upset.”
He didn’t answer. Looking up from his ruined desk, Theo said, “Get out of my office, and tell Annabelle to cancel all my appointments. I’m in no mood for anyone’s shit.”
His brother refused to leave. “What the hell did you do to her?”
“I said, get the fuck out!” he growled.
Blake slapped the folder he was carrying on the desk. “What are you doing? You’re letting a great woman get away. Why don’t you tell her the truth? If she loves you, she’ll understand?”
“She knows.”
Blake’s eyebrows rose. “Is that why she ran out of here like her ass was on fire? She couldn’t accept it? If that’s the case, you’re better off without her.”
He couldn’t stand to have anyone bad-mouth Chloe, especially when she was entirely blameless. “She doesn’t care about my infertility. Doesn’t care if it takes years of IVF to conceive. She’s even willing to adopt or ask you to be the genetic donor.” Blake’s eyes widened at that. “She even said it would be okay if we never have kids; she’s happy for it to be the two of us.”
Blake threw his arms up. “Then what’s the problem?”
“Me,” he said succinctly. “I won’t put her through it. She might think she’ll be happy without a baby, but she’ll change her mind.”
“Oh, so you know this for sure, do you?” his brother said, arching a brow. “Come on, Theo, this is bullshit. You love her, and she loves you. You can get through anything. If she says she’s happy to try even if there may not be a baby, then believe her.”
“It’s for the best.” Theo held on to the back of the chair and dropped his head.
“I don’t know why you’re punishing yourself,” Blake said. “So what, you’re infertile. A lot of people have bigger problems. Get over yourself.”
Through clenched teeth, Theo said, “This ismyproblem, and I’ll deal with it the way I want to.”
Blake shook his head. “Well, if you’re prepared to let her go, you deserve your miserable life without her. One day, you’ll realize you’ve made a huge mistake, and it will be too late.” With that, his brother walked out of the office.
Scrubbing his hands over his face, Theo blew out a long breath. Was Blake right? Would he wake up one day and realize he’d made a mistake?
No. He’d made the right call. He couldn’t picture Chloe childless. She deserved to have the family she’d always wanted. Although Blake was right about one thing: he would have a miserable life without her.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Withaheavyheart,Chloe stared at the boxes filling her living room. It had been a week since that disastrous day in Theo’s office. A week since she’d called her mother and started making plans to move back home. It seemed like yesterday she’d unpacked the boxes with excitement, dreaming of what her new life in New York would hold. Thankfully, she hadn’t signed a long-term lease. Or worse, bought an apartment outright. Moving to the city had been a big mistake. No, that wasn’t true. She could never regret moving here. After all, if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have met Theo again. And despite everything, meeting Theo again after so many years hadn’t been a mistake. She’d fallen in love for the first time, and she’d hold on to that for the rest of her life.
There would never be another man who could ever make her feel the way he did—a man who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. From now on, she didn’t want to think about other men because they’d never compare to Theo. Maybe, when she was ready, she’d go to a clinic and get artificially inseminated like Daniela and Hazel had done. There was no reason why she couldn’t be a single mother—if Mya could do it, she could too. While she’d like to raise her child with a father, she couldn’t imagine wanting to spend her life with anyone other than Theo.
She tossed the remaining clothes hanging in the wardrobe into the luggage she’d take on the plane. Hazel was organizing to have the packing boxes shipped to Sydney. God, it was hard saying goodbye to her friends. They’d tried convincing her to stay, but she reminded them she’d be making frequent trips to New York for work so they wouldn’t have time to miss each other. But there was no point living in New York anymore. She’d moved here to find love, and she had. Theo just didn’t feel the same way. So, she’d go home to Sydney and go about her life like normal—before Theo. Hopefully, if she threw herself into work, she wouldn’t have time to think about him.
