“Make it ugly.”
“You brought me to Ireland,” I say slowly. “I thought?—”
“I know what you thought.”
My face burns. “You let me think that. On purpose?”
He doesn’t deny it. “I didn’t want to ruin the trip. And honestly, the content works better as a couple. You looked extra happy in all the pictures, so I didn’t bother to correct your assumption.”
The words hit like a slap.
“So I’m what?” I ask. “A limited-time aesthetic?”
“That’s not fair.”
“That’s the truth.”
He looks almost annoyed now. “You’ve been great for this phase of my life. But I’m leveling up. You understand.”
Leveling up.
I don’t cry in the restaurant. I won’t give him that.
I sit there while he talks about growth and evolution and how we both deserve partners who align with our futures. I nod like I’m in a performance review.
“… with my brand on the line, so I had to make some cuts. It’s business.”
Business.I’mbusiness.
“As a personal trainer, you’ve been great for me. You look perfect in pictures, and it sells the whole ‘fitness influencer’ thing. You’ll bounce back.”
I’m not sure what to say. I’m in a foreign country with no one I know. Not even the man who brought me here.
I thought Connor was a little empty-headed, but had a good heart. He always seemed to—on our first date, he helped a little girl get her cat out of a tree when we were walking through a park.
Now, I wonder whether there was a photographer taking pictures of the whole thing.
We walk back toward the hotel in silence. Galway is still glowing. Music. Laughter. People wrapped in flags and each other.
I feel strangely calm.
At the corner near our hotel, Connor stops. “I’ll change my flight. You can keep the original one.”
“How generous.”
He flinches. “I didn’t mean for this to hurt you.”
I almost laugh again. “You just meant for it to photograph well?”
He rubs his jaw. “You’re being sarcastic.”
“Observant of you.”
For a second, I think he might argue. Instead, he pulls me into a hug. It’s the kind of hug you give someone at a networking event. Polite. Brief. “I really do want the best for you, Sage.”
I step back. “Then next time, break up with your girlfriend before you fly her across an ocean for better lighting.”
His mouth tightens. “Take care of yourself.”
