I open my mouth to, ready to say something, anything... but nothing comes out. My throat tightens. My mind goes completely blank. I don’t know what to do.
Part of me wants to forgive him. I want to do it instantly. I wanto to throw myself into his arms and pretend everything is fine—but I can’t. Not this time.
I love him. God, I love him so much it physically hurts. But love isn’t enough to make forgivenesseasy. Not today. Not after what happened.
“No.” The word escapes on a whisper, fragile but final.
“What?” Vincent asks, frowning. He looks confused. “No what? You don’t want me to come back to you?”
“No, I—” My voice trembles, but I force myself to keep going. “I said no because I can’t forgive you. Not like this. Vincent, for once—just for once—your apologies aren’t enough, okay? I’m tired of hearing ‘I’m sorry’ like it’s a spell that magically fixes everything. For once, I want you to actuallydosomething. Now! Not when you come back.”
The words spill out of me, raw and desperate, as if they’ve been trapped beneath my ribs for far too long.
“Maybe I really want you to get on your knees. Maybe I want you to buy me a damn pony. Maybe I want you to flood my entire apartment with flowers until I can’t even see the floor,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “I don’t even know what I want, Vincent. I just—” I press a hand to my chest, trying to steady the frantic rhythm of my heart. “For once, I need you to prove it. Really prove it. I need to feel you’re willing to fight for me, not just say you will.”
He stares at me, and I can see my reflection in hsi eyes— angry, hurt, still hopelessly in love. “Nova...” he breathes, and it sounds like an apology, a plea, and a confession at the same time.
But I shake my head. “I want to be with you so badly it’s pathetic. But I can’t keep clinging to your words like they’re lifelines. You want me? You want me for real?”
His eyes widen, breath catching. “Of course I want you.” He gets up and steps forward, voice low, rough. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my whole life. I want you so fucking badly, Nova. I love you like crazy.”
“Then show me.”
I fold my arms tightly across my chest—part armor, part restraint to keep myself from running to him. “Don’t just tell me. Show me how much you want me.”
For a long moment he just stares at me—reallystares—and it’s like something inside him locks into place. The softness in his expression hardens, sharpening into something fierce and electric, almost dangerous in how certain it feels.
“So that’s what this is?” he murmurs, each word slow and deliberate, a challenge coiling around every syllable. He takes another step closer—close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating off him. “You want me to chase you? To earn you? To prove how completely, stupidly, hopelessly in love with you I am?”
My breath catches. “Yes.”
A small smile tugs a the corner of his mouth—slow, confident, a little wicked. A smile that says he’s already accepted the terms, that he’s nto even slightly afraid of them “Alright,” he says, his voice lower now, carrying a promise that sinks straight into my bones. “If it’s proof you want, baby... you’ll get proof.”
He straightens, shoulders squaring, jaw tight with resolve. His eyes burn with a determination I never dared expect but always secretly wanted. “I’ll show you,” he vows. “I’ll show you until you can’t doubt me anymore.I’m gonna steal your heart,Marshall. Get ready for the love story of a lifetime.”
And before I can say a word he turns and strides out of my room with a certainty that leaves the air buzzing in his wake. A soft, judgemental meow breaks through the silence. Roxy sits by the doorway, staring at me with narrowed little kitten eyes, as if she’s the authority on healthy relationships.
I roll my eyes. “Don’t look at me like that, okay?”
But she keeps staring at me anyway, tail flicking with pure feline disapproval.
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
Nova Marshall
PRESENT (2023)
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“I made up my mind at a really young age that I had to do for myself, I never wanted a man to tell me what I could and couldn’t do.”
Christina Aguilera
I’m juggling a set of keys, a purse, and Roxy’s carrier, and somehow the carrier is the haviest thing I’ve ever held in my life—even though she’s a five-pound kitten with a superiority complex. My fingers fumble around the keyhole as Roxy gives an indignant meow from inside. The kind of meow that says‘I am delicate and you’re and important and you’re failing me.’
“I know,” I mutter breathlessly, trying to shove the key into the lock while my wrist and shoulder perform some kind of contortionist art. “I’m trying okay? Just give me some time. I’ll open the door and we’ll be inside in two seconds—”
The door doesn’t move. Not even a little. I frown and push harder. Still nothing. It feels like something is pressed against it from the inside. “What the hell...?”
