Chapter Sixty-Five
Gemma
Just breathe, Gemma. Push aside the intrusive thoughts. You need to see him. Tell him you’re sorry for being a coward and bailing when things got real. That you’re sorry for being too damaged to let someone love you. Tell him you want to try.
The doors slide open and my heart implodes.
Her hands are fisted in his shirt, pulling him toward her, and his hands are wrapped around her wrists, the way they’ve been wrapped around mine so many times—but he’s not pushing her away. He’s holding her.
Casey.
The woman from the old photos I’ve tortured myself looking at online. Endless legs, lustrous black hair, and flawless olive skin.
She’s not just beautiful, she’sstriking.
They’re so close, almost like they’re about to—
The air leaves my lungs in a violent rush as my eyes ping-pong between the two of them.
How could I have been so bloody stupid to believe that he’d stillactuallywant me?
Max’s eyes widen when he spots me. Of course he didn’t expect me to show up after his text. Why would he? I didn’t chase him after any of the others I ignored.
And why would he hang around and wait for me when he could have her?
Stay calm, Gemma. Stay calm.
Fight-or-flight mode kicks in as every worst-case scenario I’ve imagined floods back. Every insecurity. Every reason as to why I only let men have my body, standing right in front of me.
Get me out of here.
My heart rate spikes, and my blood turns arctic as panic rises. I’m unresponsive, physically unable to form words.
“Gemma,” Max’s voice cuts clean and fast.
But I can’t hear it. I can’t hear his excuses—I can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t do anything but slam my palm against the elevator button, willing it to close.
Hurry up. Close, please just close.
“No, Gemma, wait—it’s not what it—”
He pushes past her and starts running toward me.
“No! Gemma, please don’t go. Let me explain!” he yells as the doors slide shut.
I collapse against the mirrored wall. “Gemma, you idiot,” I mutter. “Stupid, stupid,stupid.”
My mind spirals back to that message in the car on the way to the Harrington estate. He said he didn’t want to speak to her.
But how does she know where he’s staying? How did Casey know where to find him? Unless… unless he told her.
Is that what he did the second he left my flat last Saturday? The moment I told him to leave, did he run straight toher? Invite her over to stroke his wounded ego?
Did he leave April’s wedding to meet her?
The thought makes me physically sick. All those sweet messages when he begged me not to shut him out—was I just a backup plan?
But then why did he send me that message tonight? Why tell me he didn’t want to leave without speaking to me if he already had her exactly where he wanted her?
