The depth of my love crashes against the wall of her betrayal, leaving me breathless with its force. Câlisse de câlisse, I miss her so much it hurts. Despite everything, I miss her.
My phone vibrates with another message from her. The sixteenth today.
Please don’t throw away our love. Je t’aime, Connor. I’ve never loved anyone but you.
I almost reach for it, almost break my self-imposed silence. But the image of Dennis’s smug face at Kamal’s party resurfaces, and my fingers curl into a fist instead.
How do you forgive the one person you trusted most for breaking your heart?
The sharp rap on my office door breaks through my reverie. Before I can respond, the door swings open.
“Enough of this hiding, amigo,” Antonio announces, striding in with the confidence of someone who’s never doubted his welcome. His Portuguese accent thickens as he adds, “Your mãe tried to send us away, but we not going anywhere.”
Jaxon and Kamal file in behind him, both carrying paper bags that smell distinctly of our usual game night food. The normalcy of their presence—on a day that feels anything but normal—is disconcerting.
“Bruh, you look like hell,” Kamal says, setting down containers of wings on my desk, carefully avoiding the wedding favors. His eyes linger on them before meeting mine with compassion rather than pity. “We figured if you weren’t answering calls, we’d bring dominoes to you.”
“Not now, esti,” I mutter, turning away from them.
Jaxon positions himself directly in my line of sight. “Connor, it’s been five days. You can’t close yourself off.”
“Watch me.” I gesture toward the door. “J’ai besoin d’être seul. I need to be alone.”
Antonio exchanges glances with the others before settling heavily into the chair across from me. “Maybe this break is for the best, you know?”
My head snaps up, jaw tightening. “There is nothing ‘for the best’ about this situation.”
Kamal nods. “Ten years with just one woman... maybe you both need to see what else is out there.”
I stand so abruptly my chair crashes against the wall behind me. “You think this is about needing variety? About getting bored?” My fingers grip the edge of the desk until my knuckles turn white. “Tabarnac! This isn’t some casual fling that ran its course!”
“All I’m saying,” Antonio continues, undeterred, “is that Dennis guy seemed pretty into her, and—”
“Ta gueule, esti!” The words explode from me as I slam my palm against the desk. Maple syrup bottles topple over and roll across the surface. “Crisse! Don’t you dare suggest she belongs with anyone else.”
The room falls silent. Kamal raises an eyebrow, while Jaxon studies me with renewed interest.
“So you still love her,” Jaxon says. It’s not a question.
I exhale slowly, the anger draining. “Of course, I still love her. That was never the problem.”
Kamal’s expression softens. “Then what’s the real issue here, man? ‘Cause from where I’m standing, you’re both miserable without each other.”
“Trust,” I say quietly, my fingers returning to the medallion at my neck. “Once it’s broken...”
Antonio leans forward, his usual bravado momentarily set aside. “Sometimes the strongest things are those that have been broken and repaired, meu amigo.”
“I don’t know if I can be that strong.”
Jaxon begins setting up the dominoes on the corner of my desk, clearing away the wedding favors with careful hands. “You’ve got two options, Connor. You can either let this destroy what you’ve built, or you can find a way through it.”
“It’s not so simple, tabarnac,” I protest.
“Never said it was simple.” Kamal pulls up another chair, sliding into it backward with his arms resting on the backrest. “You’re not the only one who’s hurting.”
“She cheated on me with a stranger,” I mutter.
“She crossed a line,” Jaxon acknowledges. “Nobody’s excusing that. But ask yourself what matters more. Punishing her or recognizing that she’s spent ten years showing you who she really is. The woman who’s loved you faithfully for years. Everyone fails the people they love at some point, Connor. The question is whether this one failure defines your entire relationship.”
