Page 174 of The Heart You Kept

“Yep.” He holds his hands out. “I left her.”

“Haha.” I laugh out loud. “Thank the fucking lord.”

“Yeah, man.” Theo and him high-five. “Good for you.”

My brother William is married to the coldest, most evil woman I’ve ever met. She had an affair and then used their son as leverage to make him stay. He’s been trapped in a living hell for years.

“Where’s Harrison?”

“He’s with her for the time being, but she finally agreed to shared custody.”

“This is great news.” I smile.

“We’re celebrating tonight,” Theo announces as he marches toward his trailers. “My place,” he calls.

“Sounds good.”

My eyes meet William’s and I know how hard he’d be struggling, all he ever wanted was a happy marriage. It would have taken all his strength to walk out that door and leave his son behind. “You alright?”

He shrugs and kicks the dirt.

“You did the right thing.” I hug him again. “You’re back now, time to start again.”

“I’m just going to miss him, you know, the weeks he’s with her.”

“I know.” I nod. “It won’t be easy, but at least you know she’s a good mother, he’s safe.”

“I know, good mother, terrible fucking wife.” He sighs against my shoulder. “Never get married,” he tells me.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be.”

ALORA

The ache of almost.

Is there a worse emotion on earth than almost?

Almost had a chance, almost hopelessly in love. Almost his.

It’s been a long thirty-six hours since Edward dropped me home on Sunday.

I haven’t heard a word from him since.

And I want to call him and I want to beg him to come back and make my ache of almost go away. But I can’t do this alone, he needs to want it too.

He’ll call…I know he will.

Be patient.

I walk into the bathroom of my store and lock the door, I stare at my reflection in the round mirror. His teeth marks on my neck have begun to fade. The physical reminder of our night together will soon be long gone, and as much I treasured our time together…I’m beginning to wish it never happened because it’s opened a wound in my chest that took three years to heal. A deep, cavernous hole of fear.

I hate feeling like this, continually checking my phone and worrying about what he’s doing or thinking. Wondering what’s going to come next.

You see, it’s one thing to be scared about never finding your soulmate. But knowing who he is and still not ending up with him….

That’s a tragedy I’m not sure I can survive.

I’m keeping myself busy and acting non-bothered while playing it down to Helene, but on the inside, with every hour he doesn’t call…. I die a little more.