Page 33 of Broken Track
She looks put together, perfectly composed, like she didn’t just tear my world apart last night. Like she didn’t smirk while my heart shattered.
Mia stiffens. “Who the hell is that?”
I don’t answer. I already know.
The bitch’s heels click against the pavement as she approaches. “Izzy.”
I cross my arms, masking the storm brewing in my chest. “What do you want?”
Her lips curve, but her gaze holds something almost pitiful. “I thought you should know,” she says. “I’m pregnant.”
My world tilts. I blink, her words slamming into me like a wrecking ball. “What?”
Marie exhales, as if this conversation is so hard for her. “It’s Xavier’s,” she continues, her voice gentle, a little too gentle, like she feels bad for me. Like she’s being the bigger person. “I found out a few weeks ago.”
A sharp ringing fills my ears. My stomach clenches, and the world around me warps as if I’ve been punched in the gut. The ground tilts. My stomach lurches, threatening to empty itself right here on the garage floor.
“No.” The word rips from my throat, raw and broken. I grip the edge of the workbench so tight my fingers go numb, my nails digging into the metal, like if I let go, I’ll fall apart completely. My lungs seize, refusing to pull in enough air. I suck in a breath, but it’s jagged, painful, like I’m breathing in broken glass.
Mia steps forward, a hand hovering near my back like she’s afraid I’ll collapse. Maybe I will.
Marie tilts her head, eyes glittering with amusement. “Why would I lie?”
Something inside me snaps.
I lunge forward before I even realize what I’m doing. Mia’s arms wrap around me, holding me back as I struggle againsther grip. My fury is white-hot and blinding. “You fucking…” My throat burns. I can’t breathe. I can’t see anything but her smirking face.
“Izzy, don’t,” Mia hisses, tightening her grip. “She’s not worth it.”
Marie takes a step back, clearly unbothered. “I thought you deserved to hear it from me.” She sighs, adjusting the strap of her designer bag. “But I think we both know what needs to happen next.”
I stop struggling. I already knew the second the words left her mouth.
Marie walks away, leaving the destruction she caused behind, and I turn to Mia. My voice is barely a whisper. “I have to go.”
Mia’s brows furrow. “Go where?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “California.”
Mia’s whole body tenses. “Izzy, don’t…”
“I have to.” I cut her off. If I don’t leave now, I never will.
Mia shakes her head, stepping in front of me, her hands gripping my arms as if she can physically hold me here. “Dammit, Izzy, don’t do this to yourself. You love him! You don’t walk away from that!” She grabs my arm, her nails digging in like she thinks she can hold me here. “Please, just…just talk to him. Listen to him. Don’t let her be the only voice in this.”
My throat tightens, and my chest aches so badly I think I might break apart. “What’s there to say?” My voice cracks. “He’s going to be a father, Mia.” I shake my head, forcing out a bitter laugh. “I can’t be in the way of that.”
Mia’s grip tightens. “You don’t know the full story. What if she’s lying? What if…”
“It doesn’t matter,” I whisper, shaking my head. I can’t do this.
I yank away, my breath coming too fast. “I’ve been accepted to that college in Los Angeles. It feels like fate is telling me it’s time to let go.” I inhale a shaky breath.
Mia’s eyes brim with frustration and something else, something close to heartbreak. But she sees it. She sees that I’ve already made up my mind. No matter how much I love him, this changes everything, and I can’t stay.
So I don’t. If I stay, I’ll drown in this. I leave, carrying the wreckage of my heart.
Chapter Eighteen
