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“Come on,” she tells me, smiling. I stare at her with wide eyes but follow her lead. Before long we’re both throwing Jade’s belongings against the wall, wide smiles on our faces.
Mom picks up a small jewelry tray that smashes into hundreds of pieces, and we both burst out laughing.
“Mom, there are a couple of things I’ve always wanted to smash,” I tell her, my lips tipping up in a smile.
Mom looks at me with raised brows, and I grin. “Come on.”
I lead her down the stairs to the hallway. My heart twists painfully when I see the photo frames that used to house photos of us, every trace of Mom and me removed.
I hand her one and then pick up another. We grin at each other before throwing both frames against the wall, enjoying the way they shatter.
Mom sighs, looking like a weight was just lifted off her shoulder. “That felt so good,” she says, wrapping her arms around me. “Feel better?”
I nod and drop my head to her shoulder. “So much better.”
“Good,” mom says. “Now that you’ve got that out of your system, you might finally be able to think clearly.” She grabs my shoulders and looks into my eyes. “There’s no way that boy doesn’t love you, Elena. He looks at you like you hung the moon. Every time you were in pain because watching me relearn how to walk was difficult, he was hurting right along with you. And don’t get me started on the way he helped you regain everything we lost. Alec took every one of your pains personal, every grudge you had, he settled. Every step of the way, he’s been trying to mend your heart.” She smiles and brushes my hair behind my ear. “Now, don’t get me wrong. The boy is stupid. Too stupid to see just how much he loves you. I can’t even blame him, because he’s been burned so badly, and it can’t be easy for him to admit to himself that despite his best efforts, he fell for you. But he did, Elena. Alec is so in love with you, and he doesn’t even realize it. Nor do you, for that matter.”
I stare at my mother, my heart hopeful. “Mom, no… if he loved me, he’d never have let me go.”
She cups my cheek and smiles at me. “Give it time. Give him time. The best things in life are worth waiting for.”
Mom presses a kiss to my forehead, and my eyes flutter closed. Time… I don’t think time can solve our problems.
Chapter 59
Alexander
I walk into my bedroom and pause. I’ve always loved solitude, so why does this room suddenly feel so… empty?
I tug on my tie and walk into my closet, my eyes pausing on the empty shelves. There are traces of her everywhere, even the faint scent of her perfume lingers. I sigh and walk toward my bed, but that just makes things worse.
When I look at my bed all I can see is the way her hair spreads out on our pillows, the way she rolls toward me in her sleep, clinging onto me. I’ll never have her in my arms again.
I sit down on my bed and run a hand through my hair. I grab my phone against better judgment, a photo of Elena and me staring back at me. I’m pressing a kiss to her cheek and she’s smiling, her eyes twinkling with happiness.
I can’t do this. I sigh as I walk back out of my bedroom and down the stairs, needing a fucking drink. I can’t get her out of my damn mind. Everything reminds me of her. No matter where I look, there are traces of her everywhere. I see her kissing me in the lobby of my office, laughing with my family in the kitchen, smiling at me from our bed. She’s tainted every single space, continuously torturing me with the memory of her.
I pause in surprise when I find my grandfather standing by the entrance, keys in his hand. My mother and Lucian are both grinning excitedly as they put their coats on.
Their smiles melt off their faces as they see me approach, and I frown. “Where are the three of you going?”
Mom tenses, and Lucian looks away. Only my grandfather smiles leisurely. “Oh, nowhere,” he says. “We’re just going out for dinner. I’m retired now, after all. Plenty of time to kill.”
I frown at him. “Is there a specific reason you guys are going on a family outing without inviting me?”
The guilt on Lucian’s face tells me everything I need to know. They’re meeting Elena. I laugh mockingly. “She leaves me and takes my family with her. Fucking ridiculous.”
I walk past them, my shoulder slamming into Lucian’s angrily.
“Alexander,” my grandfather says.
I pause and turn to look at him.
“I told you, didn’t I? You let her go, you’ll regret it.”
Lucian nods. He hasn’t spoken a word to me since Elena left, and even my mother seems to be disappointed in me. I don’t know why the fuck they blame me when it’s Elena that walked out on me. Onus.
I shake my head and walk out. I’m still seething by the time I pull up at Inferno. Another fucking place that’s tainted with the memory of her. My mood just sinks further as I walk up to the rooftop. My favorite spot is hers too.
