Frayed at the edges.
Like he hasn’t slept. Like he’s talking straight from the center of something broken.
“Hey, Hart. It’s me. I don’t even know if you’ll listen to this… and I don’t blame you if you don’t. But if you are—if you’re hearing this—just… please listen all the way to the end, okay? That’s all I’m asking.”
My fingers tighten around the phone. I press it closer to my ear.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing here. I didn’t plan this out—I probably should’ve. But all I know is, Olive… I fucked up. I really, really fucked up. I hurt you. And I hate that I did.”
His breath catches on the other end. There’s a pause. Then—
“You told me you loved me, and I froze. Not because I didn’t feel it—but because I did. And I didn’t know how to handle something that real. I’ve spent so long pretending I didn’t want anything permanent, convincing myself I wasn’t built for it… but I was lying. To you. And to myself.”
My heart thuds loud in my ears.
“The night you left, I told myself it was for the best. That you’d be better off. That I was protecting you. But the truth is, I was protecting me. Because loving someone—really loving someone—it means letting them see you. All the way. Even the parts you’re ashamed of. Even the parts that still need healing.”
I swipe at my cheek. I didn’t even realize I was crying yet.
“I’ve spent the last few days trying to write a song that doesn’t end with your name. I couldn’t. Every lyric, every chord, it all comes back to you. You’re in everything now. In my house. In the silence. In every sunrise and cup of coffee and stupid pair of slippers that aren’t on the mat anymore.”
A broken laugh slips from him—wet and sharp.
“I miss you. I miss you so goddamn much, Olive. And I don’t want a fake marriage. I don’t want a pretend anything.”
My breath catches.
“I want you. For real. I want to wake up next to you every morning and annoy you by hogging the blankets. I want to hold your hand when you’re nervous and kiss you when you’re ranting about how they adapted your favorite book into a terrible movie. I want to deserve you, Olive.”
His voice cracks again, and I swear, I hear him swallow hard.
“I love you.”
The world tilts.
“I’m not good at this. You know that. But I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. You changed everything, and I didn’t even realize how much until you were gone.”
My vision blurs.
“The wedding’s still on. I told them not to cancel it. I couldn’t. Because the truth is—I don’t want a Plan B. I want the future we faked so well it stopped feeling fake a long time ago.”
“So I’ll be there. 11:00. I’ll be standing at that altar… hoping like hell you’ll walk down the aisle and give me a second chance.”
“But if you don’t…”
He pauses. For a long, long second.
“…If you don’t, I’ll understand. I’ll respect it. And I’ll still be rooting for you, Olive. I’ll still be proud of everything you are. And I’ll still love you. That won’t stop.”
Silence.
Then the message ends.
I sit there, phone still pressed to my ear, heart pounding loud enough to drown out everything else. My breath catches—shaky, sharp.
And then I launch to my feet.
“NINA!” I yell, voice cracking. “Nina—come here! Right now!”
