Against the Tide

Chapter 13 - Fractured Hearts

The storm outside mirrored the storm within Lily. As the raindrops drummed against the hotel window, Lily stood frozen in place, trembling not from the cold, but from the anguish that surged through her entire being. Gregory's rejection pierced her like a jagged knife, cutting deeper with each second that passed. The silence between them stretched, suffocating, heavy with unsaid emotions.

"How could you?" Lily finally whispered, her voice shaky, barely holding back the rage and sorrow building up inside her.

Gregory's face, once soft with concern, now showed nothing but guilt. "Lily, I'm—"

"Don't you dare say you're sorry!" she snapped, her eyes flaring with a miz of hurt and fury. "Do you even realize what you've done? I trusted you! I came here, thinking—" She paused, biting her lip to keep her voice from breaking. "Thinking we could figure this out. Together."

Gregory took a hesitant step forward. "I never wanted to hurt you—"

"Stop!" Lily's voice cracked. "You don't get to say that. If you didn't want to hurt me, you should've just kept your mouth shut!" She began pacing back and forth, her hands running through her wet hair. "None of this would've happened. None of it!"

"I didn't know what else to do," Gregory admitted, his tone pleading, "I couldn't keep pretending like nothing was happening, like I wasn't—"

"Like you weren't what?" she interrupted, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Like you weren't in love with me? Is that what you were going to say?" Her laugh was bitter and sharp, filled with pain. "Well, congratulations, Gregory. Now we're both miserable."

He tried to reach out, but she recoiled as if his touch would burn her. "Lily, please..."

"I was so stupid to think this was real," she muttered, almost to herself. Her voice turned venomous. "I should've stayed with Adam. He's good, kind... and guess what? He loves me. He treats me like I matter."

Gregory felt a sharp pang in his chest at the mention of Adam. He hadn't expected her to bring him up, and each word cut him deeper. "Lily, don't..."

"He brings me flowers. He listens. He tells me I'm beautiful without making it complicated!" Lily continued, her voice growing louder, almost hysterical. "I ditched him to come here. I left someone who actually cares about me, for you."

Her words were like daggers, twisting deeper with each comparison she made. Gregory's face paled, his heart breaking in ways he hadn't thought possible. His love for her, once something pure and hidden, was now being weaponized against him.

"Do you have any idea how stupid I feel?" she demanded, tears welling up in her eyes. "I let myself believe in something that was never going to happen. I ran through the rain, soaking wet, thinking I could... I could fix this! And now... now I don't even know who I am anymore."

Gregory's face grew cold. He couldn't bear to see her this way, but her words—her comparisons—were too much. Every mention of Adam was a reminder of what he could never be for her. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to suppress the pain that rose inside of him like a tidal wave. "You should go," he said, his voice suddenly detached and icy.

Lily froze, staring at him in disbelief. "What?"

"You should go," he repeated, his expression stony. "You said it yourself. Adam's better for you. So go. Be with him. You'll be happier."

Her heart sank at the coldness in his voice, the way his eyes no longer held the warmth they once did. "Gregory, I didn't mean—"

"You've made your choice," he said firmly, cutting her off. "There's nothing left to say."