Page 32 of Unbreakable Thread

“I’m sorry.”

I stay quiet.

“I’ve seen my dad drunk so many times. I’ve never wanted you to see me like that. I fucked up.”

I swallow, and my gaze follows as he grasps a half-filled water bottle on the counter.

“I know you’re pissed. As you should be.” Max turns to face me.

“I’m not angry with you. You don’t drink often, and you never get drunk. It’s okay every so often to drink socially. What I am pissed about is that you should have called. I was worried about you. When you have late days, you’re always home by nine, but always a phone call away.” Something between a laugh and a sob escapes me. “And you had a woman who’s clearly obsessed with you give you a ride. You know how I feel about her.”

I slide off the stool slowly to fix Max a cup of coffee. His arms wrap around my waist, and his chin rests on the top of my head. “Nothing happened, Rain.” He blows a kiss on the back of my head. “It’s not like I asked her for a ride. I called Carlos.”

I turn to face him while handing him the steaming cup of espresso. Our fingers brush. “You didn’t contact me.”

“I’m sorry.”

I sigh. “Okay…and your shirt is inside out.”

He pulls it over his head, showing every muscle. The stab in my chest twists when I see his back. Although the tattoo covers it, I know they’re there. I’ve always known they’re there. Because of me. Every single one of them. Because. Of. Me.

“Max, can you sit?” I murmur, my voice low.

The wooden stool scrapes across the tile floor when he pulls it out. Once he slumps into it, I take a seat next to him.

“What is it?”

My chin trembles, and I try my hardest to swallow the pain gnawing at me in pure torture. I run my index finger down his sharp, masculine jawline. My fingers prickle under the stubble on his chin. He’s an incredibly handsome man. Any woman would die to have this man’s love. And I’m sitting here wondering if I deserve it.

His brows pinch together. Worried. He’s always concerned about me.

He’s saved me countless times. It’s time I did the same at the cost of my broken heart.

“I love you. I’ll always love you.”

Max takes my hand, which has been stroking his jaw, and interweaves it with his. His grip is strong, as if he knows a storm is coming. “I love you more than anything.” He swallows. “You know that, right?”

I nod, and a tear skates down my cheek. “I do.” He wipes my tears like he always does. “I-I-I think it would be best if we went our separate ways.”

You are a trigger. He deserves a life where he can forget the past, not look at it every day.

Max doesn’t need this right now.

You’re holding him back.

If you love him, you’ll do what’s best for him after this fight.

His head jolts back. “Come again?”

“I’m falling apart at the seams, Max. One minute, I’m learning I’m adopted, then the next, my entire existence feels fabricated. Before I can even process that, I’m snatched by some crime boss, and before I know it, I’m staring at hospital ceiling tiles while my brain floods with memories I never knew I had.” I drop his hand and step back. “I don’t know what name to go by—Sol or Rainey? I’m confused. You call me Sol at times. And sometimes it feels right, but other times it’s like, who is she? I need to rediscover myself, my past.” A crazed laugh bubbles out of me. “I’m lost.”

Max slips off the stool and pulls me in by my waist. I can’t tell if his eyes are glassy or if it’s the tears in my eyes that have me seeing cloudy. He exhales. “I’m sorry for everything you are going through. I feel selfish forcing this all on you.”

“You didn’t⁠—”

“I did. For so long, I wanted you to remember every part of me, of us. It pissed me off that your adoptive parents didn’t tell you the truth. I wanted you to remember the life you had before you lost your memory. There were times I thought it was better you didn’t remember because you looked happy. You had a cushy lifestyle. And all I ever wanted for you was happiness. But deep down, I wanted you for myself.” Those last words come in a pained whisper.

Max pins me in place as I try to wiggle out of his hold. I can’t do this with him so near that I can smell his cologne and mint on his breath. “I…I need time to work on myself, Max. Please understand.”