I had to leave. I had to get away from here. I couldn’t face his whole smug awful familyknowing.
Knowing that I didn’t get to keep him, that I wasn’t taking him home with me.
“Don’t touch me,” I snapped, and as soon as the words were out and Kit’s face fell, I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me whole.
This was breaking his heart, too.
Maybe if I just… left. Like ripping off a bandaid. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt as long, for either of us.
“Don’t follow me,” I said, backing away toward the house.
The look on Kit’s face forced me to look away.
I’d hurt him. I’dhurthim, for the first time in the entire time I’d known him, and I’d cut right down to the bone. With three little words.
Because he loved me. And I loved him.
I turned my back, tears streaming down my face as I ran inside, pushing past a few relatives or friends or whatever who I hadn’t been introduced to and didn’t care about, straight up to our room.
The whole place already smelled like Kit, and my stomach turned.
Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I sat heavily on the bed. There were other places to sit—armchairs, a long plush bench by the window—but I hadn’t sat in any of them, because I’d never been in a place like this.
I didn’t even own the bed I slept in back home, and Kit’s family owned one that wasolder than America. And I was sitting on it, crying my heart out.
Why did I ever think I could keep Kit? Why was I stupid enough to go and fall in love with him?
A knock on the door made me jump.
Kit?
“Only me, sir,” Stanley’s voice came through the door.
I wasn’t sure whether I was disappointed or relieved.
“Come in,” I said, wiping tears away.
Stanley’s face didn’t shift an inch as he looked at me, except for his eyes. I could see real sympathy there, like he was hurting for me.
“Master Andrew,” he said. “I couldn’t help noticing you coming inside in a hurry, sir. Is there anything I can do for you?”
I sniffed.
“Go back in time and figure out a way for me to be good enough for Kit?” I asked, which was probably a little much to dump on someone who was getting paid to be here.
“Ah,” Stanley slipped into the room and shut the door softly behind him.
I wasn’t sure how much he knew, and I didn’t want to tell anyone anything Kit wasn’t ready for them to hear.
I thought of how angry Robert was with his mom. That must’ve been when she told him Kit was the real heir.
But I couldn’tquitefeel like I shouldn’t have stepped in. She’d been scared. And she’d only been telling him the truth.
I just wished she hadn’t. I wished she’d let him have the lie and let me keep Kit.
“Umm.” I said, blinking up at Stanley. “I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about me. I’m just leaving.”
Part of me wanted Stanley to tell me not to, but I knew he wouldn’t. It wasn’t his place to do that, so he wouldn’t.
