I step inside, and the familiar scent of wood polish and faint coffee greets me. It’s the same apartment, but it doesn’t feel the same.
Maybe because I don’t, either.
There are a number of boxes piled up by the wall, but I can see he’s moved things around to make the place livable.
He leads me to the living room, where there are more boxes.
“Sorry, I haven’t had the chance to sort things out.” He picks up a small box from the sofa to make space for me to sit.
I do and nod my thanks. “That’s okay. You just moved back.”
“Yeah. There’s a hell of a lot to sort out. I kind of used the place as a dumping ground.” He sits across from me in the armchair. “So… you’re here, and I see you have your ring.”
I glance down at my finger and stare at the beautiful ring Knox gave me last night. I actually forgot I was wearing it.
I look back at Chad and offer a nervous smile. “Yeah. I have my ring.”
“So, it’s official. And I couldn’t feel any more like an idiot than I do right now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I feel like I was too late and never early to begin with, if that makes sense.” A pained look fills his eyes.
“It makes sense.”
“You always got me.” He chuckles. “You always knew what I was talking about even when I couldn’t quite put it in words.”
I drag in a breath. “That’s because we’ve always been friends.”
“That’s true. But I always loved you. I just…never had the guts to tell you until I did.” He nods with conviction. “Now it’s too late.”
“Chad, please don’t make it sound so bad.”
“It is bad, Isla. I may sound like an asshole for saying this, but I don’t like that guy.” He seethes. “Knox Vale. Sure, he’s better than me and has more money than anyone I’ll ever know in this life, but I don’t like him. I don’t know what in the hell you could possibly see in him. And marriage? How’d that happen?”
I almost laugh. Not because what he said is funny. Because my situation is so fucked up. And now I have to lie to him, too. “We met and fell in love. That’s how it happened.” Wow. I’m getting good at this lying thing.
Chad blows out a haggard breath. “Then I guess I was too late.”
That’s where I need to stop him and set him straight. “You’re assuming I would have taken you back if not for Knox.”
He looks stumped, as if the thought never occurred to him. “Well, I…”
“You thought I was here waiting for you to come back to me.”
His chest caves, and from his guilty expression, I can see I’m right. “I guess I was hoping you were.”
“No. I wasn’t.”
“Isla. I shouldn’t have left you.”
A soft smile inches across my lips. “I think you did the right thing.”
He smirks. “How? I knew it was wrong.”
“But you did it anyway. Because it was right for you.”
He shakes his head. “It wasn’t, Isla. And I know that now.”
