No, this thing between us has run its course.
I’m done.
I’ve bent over backwards to be good to her while she was struggling, but the moment her life starts to turn around, she suddenlyhas no time or interest in our relationship. That tells me everything I need to know.
Even though it nearly kills me, I type out one final text.
WEST: I don’t think there’s anything left to say. Actions speak louder than words and yours speak volumes. Take care of yourself.
My finger hovers over the send button.
Once I touch it, it’s over. Officially and permanently over.
I close my eyes and press down.
And it hurts so much more than I thought it would.
Chapter
Thirty-Eight
Serena
My first reaction when I see West’s text is hurt.
I don’t know exactly what he’s mad about but the fact that he won’t even have a conversation with me breaks my heart. And simultaneously pisses me off.
After all we’ve shared, he won’t even talk to me?
He mentioned more than once that he doesn’t like long, drawn-out drama, that once he’s done, he’s done, but I’d like to think I’m worth one damn phone call.
Apparently not.
I’m at work, so I keep the tears at bay until the end of the day.
Jayne is at the library, which means the house is empty, so this is my opportunity to pack up all my shit and get everything back to my apartment. If he’s done with me, then I’ll be damned if I stay at his house.
The first tears fall as I pack up my toiletries, staring at the massive tub where we shared so many romantic evenings.
I cry harder when I’m pulling my clothes out of the closet that’s bigger than my entire bedroom. Not because I’m going to miss his big, beautiful house, but because I’m going to miss the big, beautiful man who’s come to mean so much to me. I can smell his aftershave on one of his suits, and I bury my face in it as I cry.
“I trusted you, you big jerk,” I whisper.
The next round of tears comes when I get to the kitchen and start packing my favorite pans in a box I found in the garage. We spent so much time in this kitchen, not just cooking but making memories with our friends.
His friends.
They were nice to me, but I don’t think any of them are going to continue being my friend once they find out what’s going on. I’m not going to say anything, not even to Jayne, because I don’t want her to be caught in the middle. She lives here. Her boyfriend is West’s teammate.
If West wants me to disappear without so much as a final conversation, that’s what I’m going to do. Even though my chest feels heavy, like the weight of the world is pressing on it.
Good things are finally happening for me, but none of it matters without West. I’d walk away from Dusty Peaks in a heartbeat if it meant West would forgive me, but the truth is, I don’t know what I’ve done. He thinks I took money from Tony, but that’s not true. And I’m not sure what new thing he’s upset about—I haven’t told him about the contract with Dusty Peaks—but the fact that he won’t even give me a chance to explain tells me he doesn’t really care about me.
Whether it’s trauma from his ex or something else, I don’t know, but he told me he was my person. Someone I could always count on, no matter what.
Turns out—that was a lie.
I’ve just gotten everything in my pretty new SUV when I see Jayne’s name flash on my phone.