Page 54 of Curveball

The door closed behind him.

And with that final truth hanging in the air, Walker walked out of my house—leaving me alone in the wreckage of a decision I’d made all over again.

I slumped back down onto my couch, the silence pressed in around me, thick and suffocating.

Because I’d done what I always did. I’d ended things before they could end me.

Chapter 25

Walker

Iwas shaking.

Anger rolled through me in hot, relentless waves as I gripped the steering wheel of my truck. I slammed my fist against it, the dull thud echoing in the cab.

How are we back here?

After all this time, we were right back in my college apartment living room—Farrah deciding our future for the both of us.

Again.

I blew out a harsh breath and dialed Cohen. He picked up on the second ring.

“What’s up? How’d the talk with Farrah go?”

“Let’s see,” I said flatly. “I’m currently backing out of her driveway and heading back to my place. Alone. So… yeah, not great.”

A heavy sigh on the other end. “Shit, man. I’m sorry. What the fuck happened?”

I walked him through it all, every assumption, every word she’d put in my mouth before I could speak. The more I talked, the more my temper flared.

“I just don’t get it,” I said finally. “Why don’t I get a say?”

I pulled into my garage and shut off the engine, the silence deafening. Inside, I dropped onto my couch and stared at the wall, the weight of it all settling heavily in my chest.

“This is where Drake’s expertise would come in handy,” Cohen said carefully. “But if it were me? I’d be done. At least now you know where you stand before you head back to Austin, right?”

“Yeah.” I dragged a hand down my face. “I’ve got an appointment with Dr. Howard tomorrow. If I get the green light, I’ll head back.”

We talked for a few more minutes before he had to run, but the restlessness didn’t ease.

So, I went to the barn.

Theo was gone for the night, and the quiet wrapped around me the second I stepped inside—steady, grounding. Tex and Ranger lifted their heads over their stall doors when they heard my footsteps, both nickering softly as I rubbed my hand along their faces.

I grabbed some treats, let them crunch peppermints from my palm, then decided they deserved a little nighttime turnout. I haltered Tex, looped his lead around my arm, then grabbed Ranger and walked them out together. Once they were loose in the pasture, I sank down into the grass and leaned back on my hands, stretching my legs out in front of me.

The stars burned bright against the deep navy sky, the rolling hills nothing more than dark silhouettes beneath them.

Tex and Ranger wandered closer, grazing nearby, never straying far—as if they knew.

For the first time all night, my shoulders loosened. The weight pressing against my chest eased, just a little.

And right there, under that wide Texas sky, I made the decision I’d been avoiding.

If Farrah was going to keep making decisions for us, then I needed to make one for myself.

I was done fighting ghosts.