Page 16 of Break My Heart

Emery:

He’s also not trying to place the blame anywhere else.

Me:

I don’t know what bothers me more.

That he sent it or that he waited a month to do so.

Typing bubbles appear. Disappear. Reappear.

Emery:

Okay, yes. The timing? Rubbish.

Amy:

But read what he actually wrote.

Me:

I did. Multiple times.

Amy:

I didn’t notice any excuses. That’s rare.

I lean back, staring at the ceiling. “She’s not wrong,” I murmur under my breath. That is rare, especially for a man like him. Still…

Me:

He didn’t ask to talk.

He didn’t call.

He didn’t even try to explain why.

Dots fly fast. Then there’s a collective pause before the next message comes in.

Emery:

Maybe he accepts an explanation won’t help.

I hate how I feel when I read that because an explanation doesn’t change the fact that Leo said what he did. It doesn’t change that somewhere in his mind, on some level, he believed it.

Maya:

What do you feel?

I huff out a quiet laugh. “Of course you’d ask that,” I mutter. But I’ll answer it because these women know and love me. They know my standard modus operandi is to analyze, assess, and solve problems. This? This isn’t workable.

Me:

Annoyed.

Amy:

That’s not the only thing.