Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
I grind my teeth and stare at the floor. “If it keeps her safe, then yeah. Do you have a better idea?”
With a shake of his head, he remains silent. He might not like how everything went down, but we both know this was the only way. Ava needs to get out of here, away from Nathan’s obsessive bullshit, and the only way to make sure she goes is if she thinks there’s nothing left for her here.
But God, the thought of her leaving, of never seeing her again… It feels like my insides are being ripped apart.
“I’m gonna head out,” I say abruptly, beelining for the front door. “I need to clear my head.”
“Maybe what you really need to do is figure out a way to fix this mess before it’s too late,” Bridger mutters, his tone sharp.
I don’t bother with a response.
I don’t know if there is a way to fix it, or if I even should.
Maybe the best thing for Ava is for me to stay out of her life, no matter how much it fucking kills me.
36
Ava
I wipe another tear from my face. My reflection in the window tells me everything I need to know. My eyes are red and my cheeks blotchy.
For the second time in eighteen months, my world feels like it’s crumbling around me. The pain and betrayal are all too familiar, and I hate it.
Hate that I let myself trust someone again.
Hayes said all the right things, and I fell for it.
I should’ve known better.
Britt rubs soft circles on my back. “Aw, babe, I can’t stand to see you like this.”
I nod, choking back another sob, though it feels pointless at this stage. “I’m sorry for being such a mess,” I mutter, embarrassed by how much I’ve cried tonight. I’ve been like this for over an hour, and yet the tears keep coming.
Who knew a person could cry so much?
“There’s no need to apologize,” she says softly, but the words do nothing to stop the ache gnawing at me.
Across the room, Colby cracks his knuckles, his expression serious. “Want me to take him out?”
I blink, momentarily distracted from my grief. “No.”
“Are you sure?” he presses, raising a brow. “Hayes is one of my best friends, but I’d still do it.”
Despite the hollowness in my chest, a tiny smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Colby shrugs. “Just saying. It’s an option if you change your mind.”
“Thanks, I appreciate the offer.” I try to sound lighter than I feel, but it comes out flat.
Britt nibbles on her lower lip as she stares at me in concern. “Don’t you think you should talk to him? Maybe there’s more to what you saw.”
The memory of Hayes, surrounded by those girls, laughing with them, as if nothing else in the world mattered, flashes in my head.
In that moment, I felt invisible. Something I’ve never felt in his presence. He has the rare ability to make me feel like I’m all he sees.
All that matters.
My heart constricts.
“I don’t know if I want to hear whatever excuses he has. I saw enough to know I don’t mean anything to him.”
As detached as I try to sound, like I’m already past it, the truth is, it’s ripping me apart.
How could he so easily dismiss everything we found together?
The intimacy we shared felt so real.
At least it did to me.
But now… I don’t know what to believe.
Maybe none of it was real.
“You meant something to him,” Britt says quietly. “I know you did. I could see it.”
Even though her words are meant to offer comfort, they only make me ache more.
If I meant something to him, why did he let me think I didn’t?
Why did he let me walk away without a fight?
I swallow hard, pushing back more tears. “I’m going to head over to the rink and clear my head.” I glance around my apartment. Everywhere I look is a reminder of Hayes.
His smile, his laugh, the way he made me feel like I mattered.
I need to escape.
Britt’s worried gaze stays pinned to me. “Are you sure? Do you want us to come with you?”
With a shake of my head, I rise from the couch. “No, it’s okay. I just need some space.” I feel like I’m suffocating. I can’t even go in the bedroom without being slammed with memories.
Maybe I’ll sleep at my parents’ house tonight.
Or for the next week.
Thoughts of Nadia Petrovic flood my brain.
In light of my current situation, I don’t have anything to lose by talking with her and hearing what she has to say.
As I step into the cool night air, the silence surrounds me. The weight of everything that just happened presses down on me. It takes effort to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.