“Don’t. Don’t you dare ‘Nova’ me.” My voice cracks, but it doesn’t break. “Do you even realize what you’re doing to me? I’ve been chasing you my whole damn life. Since the moment you came back, it’s been the same cycle—you love me, you run, you come back like nothing happened. And I let you. Every. Single. Time. I broke Steven’s heart because of you!”
My throat burns, but I keep going. “Do you think I’m not scared? I am. God, I am terrified. But I’m still willing to push through it for you. I’m still here, trying. And you? You’re just hiding. Always hiding behind your pain, behind your past, like it’s some kind of excuse to destroy everything!”
My chest tightens as the anger and hurt blur together. “You don’t get to make me pay for whathedid to you. You don’t get to punish me for his sins.”
He flinches, but I can’t stop now. I take a step closer, voice trembling with fury and heartbreak.
“You left,” I whisper. “You left me—just like she said you would. My mother told me once that you would never stay. That one day you’d leave after fucking me. And I spent years trying not to believe her. I defended you. I swore you were different.” My voice cracks completely now. “But she was right. You left, and now my biggest fear is true.”
For a second, the silence is unbearable. I can see guilt flicker across his face, but it’s too late.
“I’m done being the girl who waits. I’m done forgiving you, pretending that you don’t keep breaking me every time you say goodbye. I’m sick of it. I’m sick ofyou.Either you want me or you don’t. But I’m not going to keep humiliating myself for someone who doesn’t even know if he wants to stay with me.”
He opens his mouth, but no words come. Just the same hollow silence that’s been killing me for months.
I take a shaky breath and whisper, “Goodbye, Cooper.”
And then I walk out—before he can see the tears spilling down my cheeks. Because this time, I’m the one who’s leaving.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Vincent Cooper
PRESENT (2023)
"Music doesn't lie. If there is something
to be changed in this world, then it
can only happen through music."
Jimi Hendrix
The bell over the bakery door jingles softly as I step inside. Warmth and the smell of sugar wash over me, but they do nothing to loosen the knot in my chest. I close the door carefully, as if shutting out the cold will keep me from freezing inside. I’m leaving in less than a week. I can’t leave without talking to him.
Steven’s slouched in the corner booth. A manga lies open in front of him, his fingers drumming against the page, though I’m not sure he’s reading. Beside him, a croissant sits torn in half, the flakes scattered like he’s been dismantling it instead of eating.
When his eyes flick up to mine, my throat tightens.
“Can we talk?” I manage.
He shuts the book, not roughly but with the kind of deliberate finality that makes my stomach sink. He sets it aside, leans back, and stares at me with something unreadable in his blue eyes. “It took you a week and two days.”
The precision of it stings. He’s been counting. Waiting.
I slide into the chair across from him, hands clasped so tightly my knuckles ache. “Can you forgive me?”
Steven sighs, dragging a hand down his face. He looks tired in a way I’m not used to seeing. “The thing is, I don’t understand why the hell you didn’t tell me. Why didn’t you have the guts to say, ‘Steve, Nova and I already have something going on’? She’s not the only one who lost you when you left. I lost you too. You’re my brother, Vincent. I would have understood. I even asked you on purpose if you were okay with it, because deep down, I always knew. I saw it—the way you looked at her, the way she looked at you. Maybe I just wanted to feel that same magic, so I convinced myself I was in love with her. And sure, I did fall for her over time. But back then? You could’ve stopped me. And then—God—why didn’t you tell me this time either? Are you scared of me?”
The words hit harder than I expect. I curl my hands into fists under the table, nails digging into my palms, searching for some anchor. “I was afraid of ruining our friendship,” I admit.
Before I can press harder, Steven leans forward suddenly and catches my hands. His grip is firm, protective, locking mine inside his. He won’t let me claw myself apart.
“You would never have ruined our friendship.” His voice leaves no room for doubt.
My breath stutters. I try to pull away, but his hold tightens. “How can you be so sure? All I’ve ever done is make a mess of things. With you. With Nova. I keep repeating the same mistakes.”
“I’m sure because I know you.” His voice softens, but his gaze doesn’t waver. “You’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met.You put everyone else before yourself, even when it breaks you. I would’ve trusted you with my life back then, and I’d still trust you now. Brothers fight. They say things they don’t mean. But brothers also find their way back to each other.”
