Drowned in Golden

00| FORGET ME

FORGET ME

PROLOGUE

The conversation clouds my head vividly. I relive the moment, again, and again until I can recite it as if I'm reacting it. I would've walked away if I had known what declaring my feelings would get me — heartbroken and defeated. It's not her fault that she did not love me, that she could not love me, the way I needed her to — wanted her to. She was not a doll that I could play with or control. Delphi was a real, beautiful, person and she had shattered my heart.

I drove to her house mere three hours ago. My hand tight around a bouquet of roses and a ring. A ring I had bought eons ago before our lives went to shit. I had believed I was going to marry her one day, when she finally saw me as more than a friend. When she finally saw I was worth it.

I remember knocking on her door, loud, and hard. It took more than a few minutes for her to get to the door and the entire time I had knocked relentlessly. Delphi in all her glory had opened the door terrified, "Brooklyn, are you kidding me right now? I have a newborn."

"Marry me," I slurred out before dropping to one knee, clumsily, "Marry me, Delphi Fox."

Delphi's eyes softened and then something changed, "You're drunk, come inside."

"What? I only had few..." I replied as she pulled me into the huge apartment her child's father had bought her.

"You can sleep it off in the guest bedroom." Delphi grumbled before she attempted to pull me after her. I had stopped in the middle of the living room and refused to budge. "Brooklyn, come on, I'll get you some water."

"I'm in love with you." I declared.

Delphi sighed, "I love you too."

"No," I brought her close to me. The roses had dropped from my hand as I stared her deep in the eyes. I wanted her to know, I needed her to know. "I'm in love with you."

"I can't," She hesitated, "I can't do this with you, anymore, Brooklyn. The chase was fun but things are different. We're different."

"I'm always chasing you. I always chase you and you say better luck next time, when are you going to just accept that you're in love with me?"

"I'm not." Delphi answered exhaustively and then I saw regret flash in her eyes. Her hand cupped my face and she sighed, regretfully, painfully, like I was hurting her. "I've never been in love with you."

It felt like she had punched me in the chest. I sucked in a breath and it still felt like I couldn't breathe. "What?"

"I love you so much, so much, but-"

"Stop." I stepped back.

Delphi had tears in her eyes, "Let someone chase you, Brookie, please, stop chasing me."

I looked away — the pain too much. How could my heart had been breaking all over again? I hated it with every part inside of me. I hated how much power she had over me. I hated that I was going to spend my life loving her indefinitely and she was never going to look at me the same way. "I don't know if I can."

Delphi's touch sent a flurry of warmth through me as she forced me to look her in the eyes. "You deserve better than me, Brooklyn Monique Yates. Go find better, all I've ever done is break your heart."

"That's not true." I had stated, "You gave it a reason to beat, again."

Delphi looked behind her, towards the bedrooms, at the child she never wanted but now couldn't possibly think about living without. She wasn't going to be her mother. She wasn't going to walk out on her family. If it wasn't obvious in the way she had looked at her tiny creation; it was obvious in the way her engagement ring pressed cold and chilling against my skin.