Page 41 of The Broken Keys

“What’s that, Livianna? Hold you to some boundaries?”

“No. You flip into business mode the second things get too hard.”

I take two strides to get right in front of her to the point she has to lift her chin to see into my stupid, love-struck eyes. “It only took you two and a half weeks to move on, Livianna. I don’t need to discuss anything further.”

“It wasn’t like that. Besides, you’re the one who told me you thought we needed a breather while you were away. You told me to explore any relationship without any guilt.” A tear slips from the corner of her eye, and she bats it away. “Then you gave me your house as a goddamn consolation prize.”

“That wasn’t what I did.” I step back because I have a desire to kiss this all away. “I told you to breathe without me so you could see if you wanted in with me…for good.”

“Why?”

“You told me once you were in a relationship where you were unable to reach each other, and it destroyed you. I didn’t want that. I wanted you to trust in us and the foundation we created. And I sure as shit didn’t think you’d go off and hook up with your ex.”

Her face drains of color. “Then why didn’t you just say that?”

“Did you bother reading the letter I sent with the paperwork, or did you get defiant as soon as you saw it and write your goodbye email?”

She studies me as if she thinks I’m testing her. “What letter?”

Chapter Nine

LIVIANNA/LILY

Now

Panic Rooms & Unsent Vows

I didn’t choose wrong. I read it wrong because the pages I needed never arrived.

The air between Jax and me thickens until I can’t tell if I’m standing in his office or on a fault line seconds from splitting. The glass windows blur, the city spins, and my pulse whooshes through my ears.

“I didn’t get anything other than legal documents.”

Jax’s face transforms, confusion replacing anger in a way that makes my stomach drop. My heart claws at my ribs, frantic, like it knows I’m seconds from losing him for good.

He huffs. “It was in the packet from my attorneys. I wrote you a note explaining everything. It came with the papers.”

“There was no letter.” My voice cracks. “Just legal documents. Your signature handing over ownership, and mine accepting the transfer.”

He takes a deep breath, like I’m trying his patience. “My team has never screwed up something as important as that.”

“So, you think I’m lying to you?” I stand taller, knowing exactly what he believes. “I wouldn't manipulate you, and you know it. I didn’t receive any damn letter.”

“Did you look through all the papers?”

I play the moment back in my head. I’m not sure I did. As soon as I saw the transfer, I jumped to the worst-case scenario.

“I pulled the contents out and there were only copies of…” My shoulders roll forward. “I don’t know, Jaxon. Maybe it got stuck between something.”

“Great, Livianna. That’s just great.” He turns his back to me. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re with Cash again.”

“What did you say in the note? Please help me understand.”

He faces me and stares at me as if nothing he says will make a difference. “I wrote you a two-page letter explaining why I was giving you the house, what I hoped for when I came back, and why I needed you to have something to remember what we were fighting for. At least what I was fighting for.”

The room tilts. Two pages. An explanation. Hope for when he came back.

“But Jax... Jaxon, even without the letter, you were gone. You sent me motivational quotes as if I were just another mentee. For two and a half weeks I’ve been wondering if what we had meant anything to you.”