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He shakes his head, unconvinced. “As long as you’re sure, bro.”
“I care about her,” I admit, taking another swig of beer. “Maybe too much.”
“So, that’s it?”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair and looking up at the ceiling. “I let her go a long time ago, Dante. We both know that. She deserves better.”
He doesn’t press the issue further, which is good because I’m half tanked, and my head already hurts. I try to tell myself it’s nothing to do with letting her go again. She wasn’t mine in the first place, that much is abundantly clear.
I know Dante is just wanting the score because he cares about me, and he cares about Sage, he’s known her as long as I have. But I can’t do this right now.
I don’t want to admit outright that I still have feelings for her, even though he probably knows it anyway. He’s not stupid. It’s not going to do anyone any good.
At the end of the day, we got her out of a bad situation, and she is going to thrive.
That’s all that should matter. That’s all that does matter to me right now.
Marco and Angelo are surprised by the news about Sage’s departure when I tell them the next day. I’m nursing a hangover brought on by my own brooding and inability to know my limits. I can’t say the pain was worth it.
I try my best to brush it off and act like everything is fine, even though it’s far from it. I don’t want to rouse my brother's suspicions any further. The least they know about my true feelings for Sage, the better.
Angelo never asks me about what I did with Cameron; he just trusts I did the right thing.
A tinge of guilt tugs at me as I think about how I didn’t have the guts to ensure I killed him.Did I make a mistake?Part of me knows that I did, because I don’t know for sure if he’s dead. I can only assume he is.
I try to put my mind at ease telling myself that he’s not gonna show up around here any time soon.
I shouldn’t have ever let Sage get in my head.
We protect the ones we care about, all of us.
I know it’s with a heavy heart that this chapter of my life is closing.
Sage is leaving, going to start her new life, a life that doesn’t include me, and now that I’m faced with her impending departure, I regret every single second of not telling her how I really feel.
Just let her go.
I know it’s for the best.
When she texts me the next day, my heart flips in my chest.
I smile when I read that she’s on campus, settling into her new dorm.
I’m glad she’s within the university walls, since it’s much easier to keep track of her there when she goes from class to class. I will have intermittent surveillance on her. We do own a security company after all, so nothing will ever happen to her again.
I made that promise to myself when she told me she was going, and I keep my promises.
Nothing will ever make me sorry for that.
And as for the rest, I guess it’ll figure itself out in time.
7
SAGE
TEN YEARS LATER
PRESENT DAY
