Why does his apology sound sincere? Better yet, why do I care?
“But most of all, I’m sorry for never telling Aaron how I truly felt. For not standing up for you all those years ago. I just…I’m sorry for all of it, Zoe.”
Wow.
I don’t know what to say.
Words, Zoe. Say words and tell him to leave.
I allow him to take my hand, feeling detached from my body as I process the weight of his confession. Dominik drops to his knees, clutching my hand against his face, and a startled cry slips from my mouth.
“I’m sorry for getting you involved in my mess. For failing you for so many years. I promise to be better, to do better by you. If you’ll let me, I’ll fix everything.” He finally looks up at me, and I watch as a single tear crawls down his cheek.
I feel numb. Yet, his words touch my heart.
Despite my better judgment and the voice cautioning me not to, I inexplicably believe him. Deep down, I know his words hold no genuine meaning and will ultimately lead to nothing but disappointment.
But he did all this, planned all this. He has been proving for weeks that he’s sorry.
No, he was just showcasing to the world his caring nature as a boyfriend. A mere facade to conceal his past actions, or maybe to win me over somehow. Eventually, history will repeat itself, and he will hurt me again. But next time, I’ll be reminded of his words and what it feels like to be desired by someone I can never have.
We can never be, and we both know it.
My breath catches in my throat, overwhelmed by the weight of his vulnerability and his apology. It threatens to suffocate me as I gaze down at him. Anxious sweat coats my palms, my body instinctively tensing in response to his kneeling position before me. I desperately scan the room, seeking an escape, but all I see are more sticky notes adorned with unfamiliar quotes from books. Did he read every romance novel in existence?
I look back at him, not knowing how much time has passed, but I finally find the will to speak. My throat is drier than the Sahara desert.
“I don’t want you to fix anything. Just get up.”
He shakes his head. “Not until you forgive me.”
I choose to confront him directly, lowering myself to a kneeling position in front of him. “There is no one here. You don’t have to pretend to care.”
“I’m not pretending, Zoe. It was never fake for me. It’s always been you. Everything I’ve done is because of the way I feel for you. I’m mad about you, Zoe. Can’t you see that?”
Closing my eyes, I try to force my own tears back. “Stop. Please stop talking.”
“No. This is the way it’s going to be from now on.”
“Stop,” I plead. “Why do you even care? You’ve never cared before.”
The silence is overwhelming, prompting me to open my eyes, only to be met by the gaze of a broken man. Something cracks in my chest as a pang of sadness runs through me, filling me with a need to reach out and pull him in.
“I’ve always cared,” he confesses, and my eyes fall to the open book lying on the floor beside me.
Picking up the copy ofWuthering Heights, I press it into Dom’s chest. “Our story ends just like this book: in tragedy.”
He takes the book and places it on the bed, then grabs another hardcover and passes it to me.
Jane Eyre.
“I read all these books in the last few weeks. Trying to find reason in what we’re going through, to figure out if our story is just a repeat of one that has happened in the past, if there is meaning behind all of this. I know you don’t care for this stuff, or maybe you do, and that’s why you try so hard to push it away. But I care. I’ve always cared a little too much.”
He grabs the back of my neck, pressing his forehead roughly to mine as our harsh breaths mix.
“And our story will not end in tragedy. There are only happy endings in our future, and I’ll make sure of it. Just like Jane and Mr. Rochester, who eventually realize they can’t escape one another. And if that’s not good enough, Zoe, you’ll find our story, the one I wrote for us amongst that pile on your bed.”
Dominik forcefully pulls himself away from me, abruptly getting up and storming out of my room. The space between us is engulfed in a heavy silence as he pauses at my doorway, his back facing me.
