how to be a heartbreaker

She hated him. He could feel it in the cold distance between them. But what hurt the most was that he hated himself too.

But she knew deep down that, despite the hurt, despite the anger and the things they couldn't undo, they weren't done yet. Not with each other. Not yet anyway.

"Do you think we can fix this?" Marina asked quietly, her voice almost inaudible. She sounded so tired. So vulnerable.

Theo paused, his chest tightening as he searched her face, trying to find some kind of answer in her eyes. He didn't have one. Not a real one. Not yet. But he wasn't going to give up. Not on her. Not on them.

"I don't know," he whispered back, his thumb brushing against her cheek one more time. "But I'm not going anywhere, Marina. Not this time."

For a fleeting moment, Marina believed him. And that was enough.