“Because you’re still leaving with him.” I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my blurry vision. “You’re leaving, Dom, and you never even told me.”
His throat bobbed. “I don’t have a choice, Shadow. But it doesn’t have to be the end of us.”
“It does,” I said sadly. “It is. I can’t trust you, Dom. You’ve lied to me. You’ve betrayed me. And after everything, you’re still choosing Max over me.”
His hand fell away. “Of course that’s how you see it.”
“I see it that way because it’s true.”
He wasn’t looking at me now, his gaze fixed on a spot above my head. “So that’s it. That’s what you want. For us to be over.”
I swiped a tear away before Dominic could see it. “No, it’s not what Iwant,Dominic. I fucking love you. But what else are we supposed to do? You’re leaving.”
“Yes, but we can stay together. We can make it through this, together. I promise.”
A sob caught in my throat. “Why should I believe you when you’ve broken every other promise you’ve made to me?”
“I love you. I didn’t lie about that.”
Maybe he hadn’t, but it wasn’t enough. It should have been, but it wasn’t. That told me everything I needed to know. “It shouldn’t be this hard, Dom. We’re eighteen, for fuck’s sake. This is what happens in relationships. Shit gets real, and people break up.”
“Our age has nothing to do with it.” He stepped closer, his voice breaking. A tear slid down his cheek. Unlike me, he didn’t do anything to hide it. “This doesn’t need to be hard. It’s just an argument. A stupid argument. It doesn’t mean anything.”
My heart hardened. “If you think that then we really are on different pages. Grow up, Dominic.”
There was less than a foot of space between us. Mere inches, really. But Dominic had never felt more out of reach.
I had one final question for him. It was pointless to ask him when I knew the answer already, but I did anyway. “If I asked you to stay…if I asked you to choose me…would you?”
Dominic’s only answer was silence.
I closed my eyes to stop the tears from falling. “Okay. I think that’s it.”
His hand caught my wrist. I looked over, and the pain in his eyes almost had me reconsidering.
“It’s not because of Max. I can’t stay here, Shadow. Not for anyone. Another few months in that house might kill me. You have to understand that.”
“I do.” The life Dominic lived under his father’s roof wasn’t one I’d wish on anyone, especially someone I loved. “And maybe if you’d told me this yourself…”
If I hadn’t learned from Max. If I hadn’t let his poison under my skin. If Dominic hadn’t shared what we were with him. If I could trust that it was me he truly wanted.
If. If. If.
Dominic laughed bitterly. “It doesn’t change anything, does it?”
“No,” I said softly. I reached up to cup his cheek, briefly pressing my lips against the other. “I’m sorry. Be happy, Dom. That’s honestly what I want for you.”
He stiffened and jerked away from me suddenly. “You know what? I can’t say the same.”
I rubbed at my chest, right over the new wound he’d inflicted. “What?”
“I don’t want you to be happy.” He smiled, and there was a cruel tilt to it that I hadn’t seen there in a long time. “If you won’t be with me, I don’t want you to be happy.”
Deep down, I knew he was just lashing out. I think that’s why I did the same. “Fuck you, Dominic. You always think you know what’s best for me, and you don’t. You fucking don’t, okay?”
His smile deepened mockingly. “Oh, but I do, Shadow. I know you better than I know myself.You can’t be happy without me.”
I snarled, fury licking at my skin. Just who did he think he was? Wasn’t it enough that he was breaking my heart? No. He seemed determined to fuck with my head too. “Fucking watch me.”
