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“Cecelia,” he whispers, the lilt in his tone breaking me apart as he brings his hazel eyes to mine, drawing me back to a time when things were so much simpler. A time where I could love him freely, reach out and touch him. “You were the first goddamn person I thought of every morning and the only woman I have ever dreamed about. And if you would have waited for me, I would have given you the opposite of nothing.”
Tears fill my eyes and spill over as my heart reminds me exactly which parts were mapped by him. “I wish I could have believed you.”
“I wish you would have believed in me, too.”
“Sean, I—”
“You love him.” It’s not a question, it’s a statement, and I feel all three stares on me as I lower mine. A long, tense silence follows before Dominic turns and heads toward the gate. Finally able, I lift my eyes to see Sean glance at Tobias behind me before running his hand through his hair and pulling on his cap. He turns his red-rimmed eyes to me before he gives me a solemn nod. “I guess we both fucked up. Take care, Pup.”
I cup my mouth, sobbing into my hand as Sean joins Dominic where he waits, sparing one last look at me before they walk out of the gate, the loud clang of it slamming behind them making me flinch. I push the tears away from my eyes, unable to move and nowhere near ready to take a single step in any direction.
I stand there for endless seconds, unbelieving of what just happened before anger wins, seeping into my every pore as I turn and face Tobias.
“They told you.” My voice rattles in my throat on the verge of explosion. “They told you how they felt about me. You knew it. They told you, and you sent them away.”
“Cecelia—”
“You led me to believe they were done with me. Why? Because you were jealous? As if that’s an excuse. Jesus, Tobias!”
“You know I didn’t mean for us to happen. I stayed away for eight months before our run-in. I had no intention of laying a hand on you.”
“Until you did. The whole time they were coming back for me. They wanted me! They loved me!”
“And what kind of relationship would that be?”
“It was up to us to decide,” I shake my head incredulous. “What have you done?”
His eyes dim as he looks on at me, utterly lost.
“I was going to tell you. I was trying to figure out a way.”
“Oh, I know, you’ve been apologizing every day. I just thought it was something else, not this. Not this.”
“I was going to tell you. They weren’t supposed to fly back until next week.”
“And you telling me was going to make it all better? You’re nothing but a selfish, manipulative, fucking liar!”
“I didn’t know we were going to happen.”
“You made us happen. I’m so done with this. I’m so done with this. Please leave.” I point in the direction they went.
He charges toward me and clamps his hand on my shoulders, his eyes firing with temper. “Stop, and fucking listen to me.”
I jerk from his grip. “Get your damn hands off me. Fuck your rules. They loved me, and you knew it! You played us. All three of us. You did what you set out to do. And there’s no excuse good enough to justify what you did.” I fight his grip as he tries to pull me to him. Words catch in my throat as I freely bleed out. The looks on their faces will haunt me for the rest of my life. “If this is what happens to people who give you their love and loyalty, I’m going to have to pass.”
“Stop it.” He felt that blow to his core because I can feel our foundation crumbling beneath our feet. We never had trust, so it’s giving easily.
“I never trusted you fully, so there’s that.” I glare at him. “I don’t ever want to see you again.”
He grips my arms, his voice barely audible. “If only you meant that.”
“What did you do?” I whisper.
“I did what thieves do. I stole you!” he roars, gripping me tighter. I refuse to look at him. I can’t because I played my part in this too. My knees start to give out as the image of the two of them flash through my mind.
“Watch it, Tobias, you’re getting emotional,” I say lifelessly. “That’s bad for business.”
I can feel his pain, his devastation, but I refuse to acknowledge it.
