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Graham laughs. It’s a cruel, hard laugh, one I’ve never heard from him before.
“You’re a lot of things, Isabella. But I never thought you’d be a hypocrite,” he spits. He stands in front of me, green eyes filled with so much anger and pain, it takes my breath away. “Why can’t you say it back? I know you, Isa. And I know you feel it, too. Just say it and we’ll be okay. Tell me you love me.”
My eyes close for a brief moment before I say the words I know will break him.
“I don’t,” I whisper. “I’m not worth throwing your life away for, Graham. Go back to the company. To your father and tell him we’re over. You know it’s the right thing to do.”
A muscle ticks in his jaw a second before he takes a step away from me. And another, leaving only coldness in his wake. His gaze locks with mine.
“You’re supposed to be braver than this, Sunshine.”
He’s right. I should be. But the truth is, I’m a fucking coward. The biggest coward of all. I really am a hypocrite. Graham starts to walk toward the door and everything in me wants to call him back.
I want him to hold me and kiss me, and I want to tell him I love him. That I feel everything for him. But something holds me back. A voice whispers in my ear that maybe it’s better this way. Eventually, he would have figured out that, deep down, I’m just a broken little girl, trying hard not to show the cracks.
Letting him go now is the right decision.
That doesn’t make it any easier. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I fall onto my bed, unable to stop the tears from falling.
Thanks for thoroughly fucking me up, Papa. I hope you burn in hell.
The days following our breakup can only be described in one word. Hell.
I thought I’d experienced heartbreak before, but nothing I’ve ever felt even comes close to matching the deep void in my chest. And it’s even worse because I know that Graham’s waiting for me to call him. He’s waiting for me to come to my senses and fix us. But I really don’t know if I can.
I’m getting ready for bed four days later when I get a call. I suck in a breath at the sight of Ava’s name flashing across my screen.
Shit.
I consider not answering, but I can’t ignore her. After steeling myself, I pick up my phone, prepared for her to yell at me for breaking my promise and her son’s heart.
“Isabella,” she says softly.
“Hi, Ava,” I murmur, bracing myself. “How can I help you?”
“Graham hasn’t come home in two days.”
My eyes widen. Out of everything I’d been expecting her to say, I hadn’t even considered this.
“I have no idea where he is,” his mother continues. “Did you two have a fight? He came home from lunch with your family completely distraught. He wouldn’t talk to me. I was worried. He just shut down, the way he used to before. And now he’s not coming home. Do you have any idea where he is?”
“No. We kind of broke up,” I confess.
I hear her suck in a sharp breath. “Why?”
I try to think of the right answer to that question. In the end, there’s only one.
“Because it was the right thing to do,” I say weakly.
“That’s bullshit,” Ava states, and I’m a little taken aback by her swearing. “Listen to me, honey. If this is about Graham’s position in the company, I can assure you that he’s not going to lose it. I’ll fight against Richard with everything in me and I’ll make sure he eventually sees reason. My son loves you, Isabella. I know it with every fiber of my being. Which do you think he’ll truly be unable to give up? You or the company?”
The question hangs in the air, coiling around me. I know the answer; I’ve always known it. I was just scared.
“What if we’re making a mistake, Ava?” I ask vulnerably.
“You’re young; you’re allowed to make mistakes. But trust me when I say that falling in love is never a mistake. It’s okay to put your trust in someone. It’ll hurt sometimes, but at the end of the day, it’ll be worth it.”
I exhale softly, coming to a decision. “I’ll find Graham.”
