Page 91 of The Forbidden Fling

“Is this to get back at me?” Molly asked. “For ignoring you for so long?”

Diana frowned. “What? No—”

“And that’s why you didn’t want to start things up again, is it?” Molly seethed, stomping towards Faye and giving her a push. “You’d traded me in for the older, saggier model!”

Well, Jesus Christ.

“Hey, that’s not fair. You broke up with me, remember? We barely even dated. This is completely different.”

“Oh, is it? Do tell me.” Molly’s eyes widened as she glanced between them, looking like a deranged tarsier. “Which one is it? Is it nothing or is it something completely different?”

“It’s nothing. Faye just kissed me, and I…I just got carried away. It’s nothing. It’s…” As the words left her mouth, she felt the change in Faye’s body, as though all the energy had drained out of it.

The world started spinning, shifting in a way she couldn’t get back.

“I can’t believe this.” Molly’s jaw tightened. “Not only have you gone behind my back, but you’re lying straight to my face. Trying to blame it on her.” She shook her head. “I should’ve listened to Dad. I never should’ve come on this stupid holiday with you. You are a selfish bitch, just like he said.” She pointed a manicured finger at them both. “And this? It’s sick. Hope you both rot in hell.”

And she turned and ran, disappearing into the darkness.

A heavy sickness twisted Diana’s gut, and she swallowed, trying to keep the contents down. This is bad. This is really bad.

“I guess it’s good to know where I really stand with you,” Faye said, the sadness in her expression clashing with the upbeat music. A tear spilt down her cheek. “I feel so stupid.”

And then she was gone too.

Diana slowly lowered herself to the ground, trying to steady her breathing, but her whole body trembled.

What had she said? What had she done?

In the blink of an eye, she’d ruined everything. Hooks clawed into her ribs again, her eyes stinging with tears, but she couldn’t move. All she could do was feel it all as the drum from inside the courtyard continued to beat.

It no longer carried the message of a new beginning. It only marked the end.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Faye - Three Months Later

Everything hurt. Her feet, her legs, her lungs. But the end was in sight. The benches by the canal signalled the biggest milestone yet—10k. So she kept moving, the distance shrinking, Self Esteem’s “Focus is Power” pounding in her ears. Just a bit more. Come on.

When she reached the benches, her legs crying out with relief, she tilted her head back to the cloudy sky. A big grin stretched her face.

I did it.

A flock of ducks paddled towards her, puffing up their feathers and inspecting her hands for bread. The cold, crisp air nipped at her face, but her skin buzzed with adrenaline. Accomplishment. Another step closer to her goal.

I fucking did it.

Since her return from Sandy Springs, she’d started running three times a week, with the aim of raising money for the sanctuary. Though the poachers had been caught, the centre was still struggling, and Faye wanted to help. She wished she could say she was doing it for purely altruistic purposes, but she also desperately needed the distraction. Pushing her body and working towards the goal of a half-marathon helped to avoid thinking about a particular woman who had stamped on her heart.

She grimaced as the ache resurfaced. Everything had happened so fast. The elation, the betrayal, the goodbye. Faye wasn’t a masochist. She wasn’t going to let someone treat her like she didn’t matter—no matter how hot they were. But it still hurt, like a hot scalpel scraping out her innards and slopping them on the pavement for the birds to feast on.

Leaving had seemed the best option in the moment. She’d completed the course, and there was nothing left for her other than memories of Diana laced in every corner of her cabin. So she’d stayed with Quin and left the island on the first boat in the morning, trying to avoid her dad’s many questions. But getting away from it all without telling the woman how much she’d hurt her left the feeling festering. She didn’t want their time on the island to be defined by that moment after the Fire Ceremony, for the title of nothing to be the lasting impression stamped on what the two of them had shared.

But did it even matter at this point? It had been three months of no contact. Three months of viewing the university website and lusting over Diana’s profile. In a way, Faye was relieved she didn’t have her number. At least then she wouldn’t be tempted to call or send long texts to someone who didn’t care about her.

She’d been doing well. She was back at work, looking for apartments with Quin, and she’d just run her first 10k, for god’s sake. Something she’d never thought possible with Crohn’s, never mind her ostomy bag. Training wasn’t easy, especially in the beginning, when she’d had to watch herself for dehydration, a side issue with ostomies. But her support belt was a lifesaver, keeping everything snug and secure, and once her body had got used to the idea of running, Faye loved it.

The adrenaline. The pain. The accomplishment.