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You end up alone either way.
You end up alone either way.
I got out the broom to sweep up the noodles and rice and acknowledged Miles was right. In my efforts to be nothing like my father, I’d become just as destructive as he was.
Now what?
I could crawl to Elise and beg for her forgiveness, but my hands were empty, and my promises meant nothing anymore since I’d already broken the ones I’d sworn I never would.
It eviscerated me to even think it, but how could I not wonder if Elise was better off without me in her life?
She deserved someone who would be able to always choose her.
Maybe my absence was a favor to her.
None of those thoughts sat right with me, but that didn’t make them any less true.
It had been a while since I’d made it to a gym session. Friday morning, I finally had the time. When I walked in, Luca jerked with surprise. I nodded to him, continuing toward the weights, where Elliot was lifting.
He watched me approach in the mirror. Expression unreadable, his muscles flexed as he curled a dumbbell to his chest.
“Hey,” I greeted him. “How are you?”
He dropped the weight in the rack and walked away without a word. My head fell forward, shame heavy on my shoulders.
He was pissed, and rightfully so.
I’d hurt his little sister. If I were him, I’d tear me apart.
Luca sidled up beside me. Leaning his back against the mirrored wall, he watched as I picked up a weight.
He lifted his chin. “You dig yourself out of your hole?”
“For now.” My eyes slid to him. “It’s been a hell of a time.”
“I wouldn’t know since I don’t read the newspaper.”
“You’re in line to take over a multibillion-dollar company. You should, at the very least, read the financial section.”
He folded his arms and made a chuffing sound. “Right. Good advice. I was referring to the fact that I haven’t heard a word from you. Radio silence for two weeks is absolute bullshit.”
I dropped the weight back in the rack. “I’m sorry if your feelings were hurt—”
“My feelings aren’t hurt. I’m used to you dropping off the face of the earth to tend to your priorities. I count myself lucky I don’t depend on you for any type of emotional support because I would have been waving like a flag in the wind. The thing is,Iwould have been there for you. You know that, right?”
I cupped my nape and heaved a sigh. “Thank you. I do know that. I wasn’t thinking about seeking support while I was in the middle of it. Now that we’re starting to come out on the other side—”
“You finally remember the rest of us?” He shook his head. “Elliot’s categorically displeased with you.”
We both looked across the gym. Elliot was running full out on a treadmill. His fierce expression and the tightness in his shoulders most likely had nothing to do with how hard he was pushing himself.
“What does he know?”
“That you broke up with Elise—”
“I didn’t break up with her.” Miles’s words vaulted to the front of my thoughts. I had withdrawn. There was no denying that. “We didn’t end things officially. I don’t want to end things.”
“Wow.” He turned his head, his gaze unfocused. “For a smart, successful man, you really are a bumbling fool. You dumped her and broke her fucking heart. Have you even faced that?”
