She was lost and so was he.
Who knew that two broken hearts can connect to one.
Arabella's world has been rigged since the day she was born. Her fate had been decided for her much longer before she even had been conceived in the womb. So it came as...
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"I want to tell my family about us." I break the silence, fully aware that it'll shatter the calm that's settled over us. She stays completely still, not saying a single word. Her hands freeze in my hair, no longer brushing through like they were just seconds ago.
"Tomorrow's my mom's birthday, and we're going out for dinner. My dad wants you to come." I pause for a second. "I want you to come."
"I don't know if I can. I have this work thing—"
I pull away from her abruptly, cutting her off mid-sentence. She's seriously lying to me right now, and she doesn't even seem bothered by it.
"You don't, though. I knew you'd try to get out of this. That's why I asked you last week to keep tomorrow night open for us. You said you'd keep your schedule free. And don't forget—we share a calendar now. Which means I know when you have a meeting. So don't even try to lie to me."
She looks stunned for a second, mouth parting like she's about to speak—then she shuts it again. I wait, giving her a chance to say anything.
"Dominic," she finally says, voice quiet and unsure, and it makes my heart sink. I know I'm pushing her, maybe more than I should—but it's been three months of sneaking around. I just need to know this is real. That she wants me, not just the thrill of something secret.
"You know I care about you," she says. "I want you to be happy. And I want to do what makes you happy. But I don't think we're ready to take that step—going public. Don't get me wrong, I would love that. But doing it now? It would ruin what we have. Everything that's just ours right now." She reaches out to hold my hand, but I stand up and turn away from her.
"Fuck that, Arabella. Do you hear how fucked up that sounds? You want to be with me in secret—like I'm just someone to play around with when it's convenient for you? Because that's what it feels like. I want us to actually be something. Something honest. With the truth."
"Are you listening to me right now?" she shoots back. "I don't want you just for the kicks or whatever. I want you. That's all I've ever needed. I don't want the drama that'll come with us being together out in the open. I thought you understood that. I thought we agreed."
And that's all it takes to break me. I spin around to face her again, voice rising without me even meaning to.
"I did it for you! That's what you're not getting, goddamn it. I haven't said a single thing for the past three fucking months. I've been waiting, hoping you'd finally be ready. But I can't do it anymore, Bella. I can't keep hiding this from my family. I've already lied to them before—and it cost me my relationship with them."
I sigh and lower my voice, everything in me dropping with it.
"I'm sorry."
Two words. That's all she can manage. And apparently, that's all she has to say too. I swallow hard, trying to push down the lump rising in my throat. My body moves toward the door on instinct, but she calls my name.
