“I know,” I whisper, and turn away before I see him walk back to them.
I head through the kitchen, out the back door, and close it behind me harder than necessary. I don’t stop walking. Down the stairs. Past the garden. Toward the willow tree. It’s the only place left that still feels like ours.
My breath catches when I reach the base of the tree, knees buckling as I collapse onto the grass. I bury my face against myarms and cry, not quiet tears, but guttural sobs that scrape my throat raw.
The kind that burn.
I am furious.
Furious at fate.
At timing.
At the damn universe for twisting the knife when I thought we’d finally found peace.
He gets to smile.
He gets a second chance.
And I? I get to sit out here in the cold, watching snow fall on the wreckage of the life I thought we were building.
Time passes in a blur. My whole body is numb—part from grief, part from frost. I don’t even hear the footsteps until they’re close.
“Dee…” Colt’s voice is rough as he crouches beside me. “What are you doing out here? It’s freezing.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve been crying this whole time?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“You’re a terrible liar,” he says softly, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close. His warmth seeps through me like sunlight through cracked glass.
“I should’ve come after you sooner,” he murmurs. “I got caught up in memories that don’t matter anymore. I’m sorry, Dee. I fucked up.”
I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes.
“Why here?” he asks.
“I needed to remember what we have, what we built. I needed to feel it again.”
He pulls me in tighter. “I hate that I left you out here. I’llneverdo that again.”
We sit in silence for a moment, the weight of everything between us settling like snow.
He kisses my temple. “Let’s get you warm. Bath time?”
“Only if you’re joining me.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
He stands and holds out his hand.
I take it.
Because I’m not done fighting yet.
Chapter Thirty
