Page 30 of Broken Boundaries

“No. Don’t Aspen me. You cheated on me!”

“It didn’t mean anything, I swear.”

“Is that supposed to make it ok? I’m just supposed to be fine and move on from the fact that you cheated?” I ask.

“I made a mistake, Aspen. It was so stupid. I don’t want her; I want to be with you. I love you.” I’ll give him one thing: he does look genuinely upset. Part of me feels like I need to make him feel better, but then I remember what he did to me and that worry is instantly gone. I gave him two years of my life, and he threw it away like it meant nothing.

“It was stupid,” I agree. “But you will never have me again.”

His eyes go wide. “What? Aspen, no. Please give me another chance. I can’t lose you.”

“You lost me the second you put your mouth on another woman. You made the decision for both of us.”

“I told you it was a mistake. Please forgive me. Give me another chance,” he begs. He drops down to his knees in front of me and wraps his arms around my legs.

“I can’t forgive you.” Seeing him on his knees like this makes me feel even more disgusted. I’m sure he thinks begging will show me how sorry he is, but it just feels fake and way too dramatic. He’s not a child, but he’s acting like one.

“You can,” he pleads. “Please.”

I pause and look down at him. His eyes are glossy, like he might cry any minute. “Did you sleep with her?”

“What?” he asks, surprised by my question.

“I saw you kiss her, but did it go any further than that? Be honest.”

His shoulders slump, and his arms loosen around me as he admits, “Once.”

I nod. That’s all I need to hear. There’s no reconciliation happening now. Not that I was planning on it anyway, but that admission sealed the deal.

“I’d like for you to leave while I pack my things,” I tell him and take a step back out of his grasp.

“Aspen, please. You can’t leave me.”

“I can, and I am.”

“Where are you even going to go?” he asks.

“None of your business, but I’ve got somewhere to stay for the time being. So, I’m going to pack my things, and then I’m going to leave. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

“I will make it harder because I can’t lose you, Aspen. I love you.”

“No, you don’t!” I yell, losing my patience. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have done what you did. This is all your fault! Don’t try to make me feel bad for taking care of myself now.”

He stands up. “You’re right. This is my fault, and I’m going to fix it. I’ll give you space, but just know I’m not giving up on us. I’m going to keep fighting for you. You’ll see.”

I sigh and walk past him to the closet to get my suitcase. “I’d rather you didn’t.”

He grabs his keys off the counter. “Too bad. I’ll prove to you that you and I are meant to be.”

I shake my head. “Please leave.”

He looks at me for so long. I’m afraid that he sees the pain in my eyes, but I refuse to cry in front of him. I did my crying last night. Now, I’m moving on.

“I love you, Aspen.”

I don’t say it back as I walk toward the bedroom to pack. I hear the front door close as Zach leaves.

I can’t believe I just unpacked all of this stuff and now I’m packing it back up. I can’t believe I followed a man to a place where I knew no one. I can’t believe the man I thought loved me betrayed me so easily.