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Handle my mum. She said the words with little emotion. The woman that I’d known since I was thirteen disappeared—or maybe she’d never existed in the first place. She’d always been fair, but had she been waiting for this opportunity the entire time I’d dated Judah?
I backed out of the kitchen. Everything happening today felt like a nightmare and I was walking toward the worst moment of my life. Judah was upstairs waiting for me. I’d told him I needed to talk to my mum.
I couldn’t feel my fingers as I slid them up the stairs’ railing, but I didn’t think my heart was beating, either. The paralyzed sensation left me breathless, and my legs wobbled beneath me when I made it to the second floor. This was it, the worst moment of my life. I’d chosen Mum over Judah, and now I had to end the relationship that made me happy.
I forced air into my lungs and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand as tears threatened to fall. Maybe Mrs. Dailey was right. We were only eighteen. I had my whole life ahead of me.
Except, Judah was my world.
I shut my eyes, took a deep breath, and closed the distance between the stairs and Judah’s bedroom. As soon as I opened the door, I froze. Judah lay on the bed, frowning down at a book in his hands, and he scratched his cheek.
“You’re good at math, right? Help me with trig. This shit is confusing.” He glanced at me over the top of the thick textbook and grinned. “I suck at this.”
Words got stuck in my throat and I swallowed, hoping to make them move, but they didn’t. I stood there like an idiot, not quite sure how I was meant to do this.
Judah’s smile dropped and his eyebrows furrowed. “Tav? Are you okay, Puffin?”
Okay? No, I was not bloody okay.
Stuck.
Lost.
Heartbroken.
Not okay.
I opened my mouth, then closed it and opened it again.
Judah shoved the textbook to the bed and stood, but I held up a hand to stop him before he walked over to me.
“I can’t do this anymore.” My voice wobbled and lacked confidence, so I cleared my throat. “I can’t do this with you anymore, Jude.”
He stared at me, and the panic in his eyes drove a knife straight into my heart. “What are you talking about?” He scrambled forward abruptly, and I backed away. “Tav, I don’t know what’s happening. What did I do?”
Nothing. You’re perfect. You are the best boyfriend ever. I love you.
I shook my head as tears flooded my eyes again and threatened to fall. My strength against Judah had never been solid in the first place, but with the added pressure of my breaking heart, I was ready to collapse and scream. “It’s just not workin’.”
“But why?” Judah’s lips shook and he held out a hand to me. “Puffin, don’t do this. We’re happy, right? Come here. Tell me what’s wrong. I’ll fix it, I swear. I’ll do anything for you.”
I’d never been happier, but he couldn’t fix Mum’s situation. No one but Mrs. Dailey could, and I’d signed a contract. An agreement. I had to break up with Judah.
“It’s over,” I whispered, holding back a sob as tears trekked down my cheeks. “We’re over. I’m sorry.”
“Tav, don’t do this. Wait!” Judah rushed forward, but I turned and ran like the coward I was.
I sprinted out of his room and down the stairs, nearly tripping on one of the steps halfway. My heart hammered against my ribs and the force of the thumping made it feel like it was shattering the fragile bones that protected it.
“Puffin, stop! Tell me what I did!”
I continued running and left his home completely. There was a commotion behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder. Mrs. Dailey had grabbed Judah’s arm to stop him from following me in the foyer. Judah was still watching me desperately, his eyes begging me to come back, but I kept running.
This was it.
The end.
I’d chosen Mum, and I wasn’t worthy of Judah. He would hate me, and he had every right.
