Elijah doesn't even acknowledge what happened, likely believing he deserved it. His attention is solely on me as he takes my hand, lifting it gently and pressing a soft kiss to the back of it.
“You go after him. I’ll deal with her.”
Tears blur my vision; the weight of everything crashes down on me like a hurricane.
“Trust me,” he adds, his green eyes boring into mine. “Nothing changes between us. It’ll be okay, I promise.”
He inclines toward me and places a gentle, reassuring kiss on my head.
I really hope so.
“God, you're disgusting.”
Rose's voice interrupts, causing the anger to surface once again.
“I always knew you were a homewrecker, and now your own brother hates you, and I didn’t have to do a single thing.”
“That’s enough,” Elijah sneers. “You don't get to speak to her like that.”
This time, I headed towards her. So sick of her shit.
Every instinct in me is screaming to run after River, to fix this before it breaks completely; however, I can't leave without giving her a piece of my mind.
I won't let her think that she's won.
Not when the two people she's just tried tearing apart mean everything to me.
I come to a halt in front of her, pointing a finger at her chest.
“Listen to me because I won't be repeating myself.”
For once, she doesn't interrupt.
“You didn't win, and after this, I never want to see your face again. You're a disgusting piece of shit for what you did to my dad… and to Elijah. You deserved neither of them.” Her expression falters. “You're going to spend the rest of your life alone, and honestly? I feel sorry for you.”
I glance back for a split second, pulling the strength from him.
“Because that man standing behind me—the one you were foolish enough to cheat on—is now mine. You lost a good one, and I hope you feel that loss every single day for the rest of your miserable life.”
The look on her face is priceless.
“I hate you.” I clench my fists tightly. “Do you know what really pisses me off? It should be you buried in the ground, not my dad.”
For a moment, I can’t breathe. It might be a bit extreme, but she has caused so much pain in my life, and that’s a fact. The reality that she is here, breathing and living a life my dad deserved, feels profoundly wrong.
Bad things should happen to bad people.
I turn away because I am so done with her. I don't want to hear anything else she has to say.
Elijah's right there.
The moment his eyes meet mine, they soften, revealing a clear sense of pride in his expression.
“I love you.”
There's no faltering.
“I love you,” he says back.
