Page 47 of We Own Each Other

All I would end up doing is stain him, and he didn’t deserve that.

Just as I was working myself up to finally head inside, as if he could sense my presence, he glanced my way. As I had assumed, those deep red eyes met my gaze. They didn’t register who I was at first, clear and vacant as they took me in. Then, they changed. There was a hardness that appeared as his gaze narrowed. He smiled, waving me in, but there was something dark and threatening in his countenance that I didn’t recognize.

Goosebumps raced across my flesh as fear and lust bubbled up within me in equal measure.

This had to be the last time I saw him, and these feelings proved it.

Swallowing, I finally made my way inside, past the host station and to the table where Corin was already waiting for me. We exchanged cold pleasantries, like work colleagues, before I took my seat.

It was strange sitting across from him again, especially in these circumstances.

Our whole relationship had been such a whirlwind, starting as strangers looking to fuck, to live-in lovers soon after, and now we were as good as strangers again. My heart ached and throbbed in my chest like an open wound. Part of me wished I had never met him so I wouldn’t have had to experience this loss, but then I wouldn’t have known the truth about the person before me. A Switch could never be fully known by anyone because they were always a Sub or Dom, never both, but we could be both for each other.

While I knew I should hope someone would know him as fully as I did, that possessiveness in me wanted that experience entirely for myself, forever.

Just as I was beginning to talk myself into trying to convince him I was a changed person, and we could still be together, I was reminded instantly as to why I didn’t deserve to be with him:

He said, “I talked to Anthony and Noah again.”

I couldn’t help but wince. The memory of my last meeting with them filled me with that familiar weight of dread and sorrow. It was the moment all of my wonderful plans and dreams of happiness with a fated mate I had found and made for myself fell apart.

I searched Corin’s face for any hint of where this conversation was going, but his face was perfectly neutral. It was like speaking to a statue crafted to look like Corin because the Corin I had known before made all kinds of expressions. This Corin was a stranger to me, and that made my cold, heavy heart all the more painful as it stabbed against the walls of my chest.

Still, I tried to keep my tone light as I feigned interest:

“Oh? Really?”

He nodded, then continued.

“He gave me a message to pass along to you.”

I steeled myself, prepared for every bit of vitriol and hate that I deserved. And how painfully fitting it would be coming from the lips of the person I loved the most. Swallowing, I nodded, prompting Corin to go ahead.

“He said he’d never forgive you, but he’s happy now. He’s survived despite everything you put him through.”

The weight across my shoulders didn’t lighten. My guilt was still firmly rooted in the pit of my stomach. Still, tears welled in my eyes, my vision swimming.

I was happy.

So happy.

I was happy that, despite the monster I had been to him, Anthony could find his own happiness.

Of course I could never find happiness with a partner of my own. It was shitty of me to even think I could when all I had ever done was cause misery to others. This was for the best. I could atone for my sins alone, knowing that Anthony and Corin were both better off without me.

At Corin’s feet were large garbage bags, presumably full of all the things I had left behind in our cobbled-together love nest. It was hard to believe I had accumulated so much stuff in so short a time there. It was a painful reminder of how sure I was that we would be together forever. But that had been a mistake on my part. A lie I told myself before I discovered the truth.

I smiled, wiping the tears from my eyes before bending over and picking up the bags. I murmured my thanks for passing along the message and got ready to stand up when Corin lurched forward, grabbing my wrist and keeping me seated at the table.

“Wait. That’s not all.”

I blinked past the lingering tears in my eyes, staring into Corin’s face, which had suddenly come to life with emotion. His eyes were wide, letting those deep red irises shimmer in the restaurant’s dim light. And his lips trembled with desperation.

I settled back into my seat, setting everything back down by my feet, as I was sure I’d be leaving soon, regardless of what else he had to tell me.

Corin cast his gaze down at the table, sucking in his lower lip to mindlessly chew on it as he gathered his thoughts.

Finally, with a sigh, he met my gaze.