AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Frowning, I cross my arms. “He didn’t cheat on me … that I know of.” I shrug and do my best to ignore the slight pain in my chest. “You would’ve known he broke off our engagement if you’d answered my phone calls. Where have you been?” I ask suddenly because I don’t want to think about my ex.
Or his reason for dumping me.
For the first time since I opened the door for him, he has the sense to look contrite. He scratches the top of his head, ruffling the dark curls that rest there.
“Work keeps me busy.”
“Mhmm,” I reply.
Diego’s eyes narrow as he looks me over in that unnerving way of his. Sometimes it feels like he can see right down into my soul.
Most of the time, I almost crave that attention from him. But not tonight. I don’t want him to see the truth in my eyes tonight. I feel too vulnerable, and the last thing I want is to unload all of my problems onto him.
He doesn’t give me that option, though.
“Wait, did you say he broke up with you? That son of a bi– What aren’t you telling me?”
“Noth—” The lie dies on my lips as his eyes narrow even more.
“We don’t keep secrets from each other.” His voice is so deep, a tinge of darkness in it that sends a chill through my body.
We used to not keep secrets from each other.
When I don’t say anything, Diego moves closer and cups my face with his hands. Warmth fills me.
“He didn’t want to deal with me being sick,” I admit.
Diego raises one of his thick, dark eyebrows. I can see a muscle in his perfectly square jaw bulge, even through his neatly trimmed beard.
“He dumped you because of your diabetes.”
I swallow and step out of his embrace. “Not exactly.”
“Then what exactly, Monique? Because I’m about to get on another flight back to Miami to whoop his ass a second time.”
“No.” I grab his wrist firmly. “Don’t do that.”
“What happened?”
My mind scrambles as panic starts to take over. I can’t let Diego fly off the handle again for me. Not like he did last time.
“It’s not that big of a deal.” I try to bring some levity into the conversation. “Anyway, did you really get on a plane and fly here from Miami for that?”
* * *
Diego
She asks the question like a three-hour flight is even that big of a deal for us. I don’t answer.
“What happened?” I ask again. I try to keep the demand out of my voice, but it remains evident.
“I got sick a few months back. My blood sugar wasn’t adjusting to the insulin from my pump. Ended up in the ER for a few hours. I still don’t know what went wrong, but that was when I decided to go off of the pump for a while and go back to self-injections.”
My stomach muscles tighten because I didn’t know she’d gone off of the pump. Over the years, she’s gone between a pump and injections.
She shrugs. “Anyway, that happened to be the night of a really important showing of his.”
I’m shaking my head before she finishes. “Tell me he didn’t choose to go to a show over staying with you at the hospital.”
