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Only when she was inside did she let the tears fall. Collapsing on the floor, she hugged her arms to her chest as if to stop her heart from breaking.
Her thoughts spun as sobs tore from her throat, and memories of the pain she’d felt the night she lost Jace filled her mind.
After several moments, she pulled herself up from the floor and propelled herself up the stairs to her bedroom. Closing her eyes, she drew Carter’s sweatshirt to her face and breathed in his scent, committing it to her memory. Their relationship was fractured, damaged beyond repair.
She turned toward her dresser, and her eyes fell on the storage container on the floor. She’d lost Carter on the very night she’d finally opened her heart and expressed her love for him. In the blink of an eye, everything they’d built had been torn down. She was alone—again. And now it had happened with Carter, just like when she’d lost Jace.
She dropped to her knees in front of the storage box and ran her hands over the lid. Maybe she had let go of Jace too soon. If she had held on to Jace’s memory more tightly, she wouldn’t be in pain now.
With tears clouding her vision, Darcy opened the box and peered inside.
***
At least something positive happened tonight, thought Carter. When he arrived home, the sedan with the Tennessee tag was gone from the driveway. The last thing he needed after realizing his relationship with Darcy was over was a run-in with his father.
He dragged himself from his truck, the weight of his misery and grief bogging his steps toward the front door. When he reached his room, he collapsed on his bed.
Staring at the dark ceiling, Carter rested his arm on his forehead. Just as he had feared, he lost Darcy. Like everything else in his life, she was ripped away from him when he had finally found happiness. Surely his heartache would swallow him whole and he would become a shell of a man once again.
He thought he’d found his match, his soulmate, the love of his life. In the end, though, she had never trusted him.
But I didn’t tell her my own truth either.
He rolled to his side and tried to calm down, but his body felt tied up in knots. Then the truth hit him in the face: He was just as guilty as she was. He’d been too afraid to tell her about his illness because he thought he’d lose her—but by not telling her, he’d lost her anyway.
Carter winced as he recalled their conversation in the car. How horrible he’d been to her. A real jerk. He’d even accused her of being a trust fund baby. He was sure his words had cut her to the bone.
He sat up as guilt saturated him. Darcy deserved better than the way he’d treated her. And despite his horrible words, she’d left him with an apology and a reassurance of her love.
He loved her more than he’d ever loved anyone in his life. He couldn’t let it end like this.
He grabbed his phone from his nightstand and noticed that the battery only had 10percent power. It was almost dead.
“Please work,” he whispered, praying she would answer as he dialed.
“Carter?” Darcy’s voice was soft and unsure.
“Darcy.” Her name came out in a croak. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
The line remained silent, and his heart pounded in his ears. Had she hung up on him—given up on him for good? His body trembled. He couldn’t lose her! He loved her. He needed her.
When she sniffed, his body relaxed—slightly.
“I... I was awful to you.” His eyes stung, and he swiped his fingers over them. “I shouldn’t have said those horrible things. I didn’t mean them. I was hurt and angry—mostly at my father.” His voice sounded raw.
More silence stretched between them, and he leaned back on his headboard. “Are you still there?”
“Yeah,” she whispered.
“Darcy, I love you,” he began, his words scratching out of his dry throat. “And I don’t want to lose you.” He stared toward his window, taking in the dappled shadows created by the streetlights. “I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you either. I should have told you about my transplant.”
She sniffed again.
“Will you give me another chance?” he begged her. “Please, Darcy. I want to work this out.”
“I do too,” she said, her voice breathy.
He heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I promise I’ll be completely honest with you from now on. No more secrets.”
