I pinch the bridge of my nose before I go on, “Ron brought his cat into the clinic that afternoon and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to mention Sebastian to him.”
“Ron is the Dean of Admissions?” She stops me to clarify.
I nod. “Yes. He came in unexpectedly and I brought up Sebastian and his career and his admission years ago to NYU Law. Ron said he’d put together an admissions package and reach out to Sebastian to talk about his chances of getting accepted again in the future.”
Her voice lowers. “Did Sebastian tell you he wanted to go to law school?”
I shake my head. “No. He never came right out and said it. I think that’s why he left me, Kate.”
“You don’t know that.”
I look back at the table in the corner. “Maybe it was my dream more than his. He was shot years ago. I was scared that it would happen again.”
“He was shot?” She jerks her head back. “Oh my God.”
“He’s fine.” I pat my shoulder. “He’s fully recovered now, but it scared me enough that I convinced myself that he’d be happier as an attorney.”
“Tilly.” She reaches to cup her hands over mine. “He didn’t leave you because you put in a good word at a law school he may never want to go to. If that was the issue he would have justbrought it up and told you that he appreciated the effort, but he wasn’t interested in that career path.”
I shake my head in frustration. “You don’t know that, Kate.”
“I know that you told me very early on that he doesn’t want a girlfriend.”
I don’t need the reminder. I haven’t stopped thinking about that since the night he broke up with me.
“Tilly, he left you because he didn’t want to be in a relationship with you.”
The words sting. They sting as much as they do every time I let them trample through my thoughts.
I want there to be a logical reason for why Sebastian walked away from me. I don’t want it to be because he didn’t love me.
“You have to face this.” She wraps her arm around my shoulder. “The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be able to move on.”
She’s wrong. My heart won’t let me move on.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Sebastian
“One more nighton my sofa, Sebastian.” Liam kicks my bare foot with his boot. “I’m giving you more night and then I want you out of here.”
I don’t open my eyes. “You said that yesterday and the day before that.”
“Get up.” He opens the curtains to let the early morning light flood his living room.
I push my palms into my eye sockets. “Jesus, Liam. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“What the fuck is wrong with me?” he repeats back. “I’m not the one wallowing in my own pity. I’m getting my ass to work and tonight I’m taking a beautiful woman to dinner.”
“Don’t rub it in,” I growl.
“I had my doubts.” I hear him walking around the sofa. “I admit I had doubts when you told me you loved Matilda, but I need to say, I have zero doubts now. You really do love this woman.”
“I know that.” I push myself up into a sitting position. “You don’t think I spend every fucking day thinking about her?”
He sits on the edge of the coffee table.
He’s dressed for work in a pair of black pants and a blue button-down shirt. I can’t say the same. I’m wearing boxer briefs and nothing else.
