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I nodded, a lump forming in my throat.

She shifted, moving to her cushion on the couch, her expression unreadable. “Talk away.”

She had no idea what I was about to say, and the weight of it made my chest tighten. I took a deep breath, knowing this conversation would change everything.

“I agreed to go out on another date with Marie.”

PIECE BY PIECE

“You what?” My heart pounded in my chest, the words barely leaving my lips. I stood up from the couch, my legs shaky.

“I’m sorry, Rose. I panicked.”

“You panicked?” My voice cracked, disbelief flooding my system. I quickly pieced it together, the phone call earlier, his strange behavior. “Is that who you were talking to this morning? Before everything got weird between us?”

Wells’ eyes dropped to the floor, and he nodded, unable to meet my gaze.

A sharp ache spread through my chest as tears welled in my eyes. I should’ve known. I should’ve kept my guard up, but I let him in. I let myself be vulnerable. The walls I’d built around my heart, the ones that had kept me safe, now felt like a cruel reminder.

“I know I’m not as smart as Marie,” I choked, the words slipping out bitterly, “but damn it, I thought there was something real here. I let you in, Wells.” My voice trembled, the tears falling freely. “I guess it was just an easy way for you to get laid.”

Wells stood up, stepping toward me. “Sunshine, this isn’t a joke to me. I care more about you than—”

I cut him off and poked him in his chest. “Don’t ever call me that again.” My breath hitched as I forced back a sob. “Whatever this was, it’s over. Pretend like it never happened.”

Without giving him a chance to speak, I turned and made my way to the stairs, my heart heavy with every step.

“Where are you going?” His voice called after me, desperate.

“Away from you.”

“Rose, wait. Let me explain.”

But I didn’t stop. I sprinted up the stairs, slamming my bedroom door behind me. The tears fell in torrents now. How could I have been so stupid? I knew better than this. If you don’t let people in, they can’t hurt you. I should’ve remembered that.

There was a soft knock on the door. “Rose, please open the door. We need to talk.”

I curled up on my bed, wrapping myself in the blankets, willing the pain to go away, but it wouldn’t. It couldn’t.

The knock came again, more insistent this time. “Rose, please. Let me explain.”

I pressed my face into the pillow, my chest tight, my throat raw from holding back the sobs that kept coming, one after the other. The door remained closed, the room feeling smaller with every breath I took. I wanted to ignore him, to shut it all out, but my mind was spinning in circles, the words from earlier echoing in my head.

I care more about you than—

I cut him off. I didn’t need to hear that right now. It didn’t matter what he cared about; it didn’t change what he’d done.

“Rose,” Wells said softly, his voice muffled through the door, “please, I need to fix this. I know I messed up. I’m sorry.”

I gripped the blankets tighter, my nails digging into the fabric as if holding on to something solid would make the pain stop. But nothing was solid anymore. Nothing felt real.

“Please,” Wells’ voice cracked, “please let me talk.”

I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to tell him to leave me alone, that I couldn’t do this right now. But instead, all I could manage was a whisper. “I don’t want to hear it.”

The silence that followed felt like it lasted forever. I could hear him pacing outside, his footsteps dragging, every movement an aching reminder of what had just shattered. I shut my eyes, trying to block out the reality of it all, but the sting of betrayal was too sharp to ignore.

After a while, the footsteps stopped. I heard his voice again, quieter this time, like he was talking to himself. “I never wanted to hurt you.”