Page 195 of The Heart You Kept

I sincerely hope you find the grand love you are looking for and I wish you all the happiness in the world.

All my love

Edward.

XX

“Wow.” I puff air into my cheeks. “Here I was falling in love and there he was drafting a breakup letter.” I slump onto the stool at the kitchen counter.

I read it again and again. Disappointed but not surprised, and even though I thought I made a valid case last night I guess on some level I knew the writing was on the wall. The end was always near.

I’m not a princess or an heiress and obviously once he saw my humble abode, my love of simplicity and my beloved vegetable patch, he knew I wasn’t the girl for him. His words from last night come back to me: we come from different worlds.

The reality is, I know he’s right and this is probably for the best. Better to cut ties now rather than later when I’m hopelessly in love with him. Who am I kidding, I already am.

Fuck.

I make myself a cup of coffee and walk to the kitchen window, two blackbirds are sitting side by side on the fence. Chatting away and bouncing along together.

Happily oblivious to the complications of being human and the heartache it brings.

I watch them for a long time, my mind runs over the last two months.

Are you happy, Alora? You broke up your relationship for a man who didn’t even care about you.

Betrayal washes over me and my eyes well with tears.

I’m such a fool.

I walk into work with a spring in my step, I’m not going to cry over a man who doesn’t want me.

Screw him.

“So….” Helene’s eyes widen with excitement. “How did it go?”

“How did what go?” I take my scarf off and hang it up on the hook.

“Your night with Edward.”

“Oh.” I sit down and turn my computer on. “It was okay.” I shrug. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other again, though.”

Her face falls. “Why not?”

“I woke up to an it’s-not-you-it’s-me letter.”

“You did.” She drops into the seat opposite me. “But I thought-—”

“Doesn’t matter.” I cut her off. “I don’t want to talk about it and I don’t want to talk about him ever again.”

“Right.” Her eyes hold mine. “You okay?”

“Yep.” I force a smile.

Not really, I’m hanging on to my sanity by a thread, but damn it, I’m going to fake it till I make it. Like that motivational book says, I can do hard things.

“But there are two guards still out the front.” She frowns.

“I have to put a stop to that as well.” I open my emails.