“You heard wrong,” he says, coldly.
My chin trembles. I blink back the sting in my eyes. It’s not time to cry. I take a long breath and reach for the handle, he’s standing in front of the door and doesn’t move.
“Get out of my way,” I grit out, looking into his eyes.
“No.”
The tears start streaming down. I grab his arm and yank, but I can’t move him an inch.
“Get out of the way, Hunter!” I cry out. His name sounds like a curse to my ears.
“I can’t let you leave,” he whispers, his voice thick.
I close my eyes, my teeth chattering. My whole body is trembling. Every breath burns my lungs.
Hunter
She opens her eyes, and my heart stops mid-beat, then resumes with an intensity that slams it against my ribs. I clench my fists, stopping myself from staggering back under the force of her hatred. I’ve seen it in my nightmares, it was far less horrifying than this.
I take a step toward her. She takes one back, her eyes blazing.
“Why did you do this to me?” she shouts, her face crumpled in pain. Tears stream down her cheeks without stopping.
My chest feels like a mountain is crushing it. Only one question rings in my head:was the lie worth it, when it left her this broken?
Was the time I stole from someone else worth it, when all I’ll have left is her hatred for the rest of my life?I could havestayed with the truth. Tried to win her heart as Hunter. Worked to make her fall for me. But I chose the easiest path. Maybe she would have never loved me. Maybe I would have never succeeded in making her forget him. But she wouldn’t be like this.
“Answer me, Hunter, why did you do this?” she cries out. And then she laughs through her tears. It pierces my heart. “Why am I asking such a dumb question? Why wouldn’t you do it when I threw myself at you?”
A knock comes at the door behind me.
She wipes her face and straightens her posture. “Move.”
She’ll fight me if I don’t.
I can’t keep her locked inside forever. So I step aside. She yanks open the door and runs out.
I follow her. May is standing there, watching me in confusion.
Chapter 23
Elowen
How could I have been so wrong in identifying him?
How could I have let someone deceive me like this?
Long before he even started lying, I was the one convincing myself he was Salvario.
Was I so desperate to escape the state I was in that I convinced myself that man was Salvario?
How will I face Salvario and tell him I gave his place to another man?
I don’t stop running until I reach the entry gate. Remi is standing there facing me, and a man is standing in front of him, his back to me.
He turns as I reach him. Nothing has changed. He looks exactly the same, except his hair is shorter. I don’t dare look into his eyes and run straight into his arms. He wraps me in his embrace.
“I’m sorry,” I sob against his chest.
