Page 137 of The Heart Breaker

She nods. “Yeah.”

I give her a quick smile that probably looks nowhere near convincing and keep my eyes down as I weave through the crowd of people.

All I want is to get out of here. I want to get home so I don’t have to keep my expression under control. My throat still feels tight from seeing him. From that tiny, stupid part of me that lifted for one second when our eyes met and then got crushed all over again when he looked away.

I should be over this by now. I’ve lived twenty years without a dad. I don’t need one now.

My phone buzzes in my bag. I ignore it and keep walking, but it buzzes again a few seconds later.

With a sigh, I stop beside one of the benches and dig through my bag for my phone, thinking it’s probably my mom because she hasn’t stopped checking in since I left.

Instead, it’s a payment notification.

I frown and tap it open, still walking for another step before I come to a stop.

Payment received: $100

From: Cole Ellis

My heart thunders in my chest as my eyes flick down to the message attached.

You were the best thing that’s happened to me, and I destroyed it. I’m so fucking sorry, Aurora.

Before I can even process that, another payment notification slides onto my screen.

Another hundred dollars and another message.

Please unblock me. Yell at me if you want, hate me if you need to, just please don’t shut me out.

Heat rushes up my neck. If he was sorry, he wouldn’t have pushed me away when I was standing right in front of him, wanting him to pull me into his arms and tell me everything was going to be okay.

He wouldn’t have made me feel like an inconvenience—like he couldn’t stand the sight of me.

And if he thinks money fixes anything, then he really never knew me at all.

My thumb hits refund immediately, and I shove my phone back into my bag, my pulse racing as I make my way to my apartment.

But when I climb the stairs and turn into the hallway leading to my apartment, I freeze.

Cole looks up the second he hears me. I’ve been doing my best not to run into him, but I always wondered what it would be like when I finally did. Whatever I was expecting, it isn’t this. His eyes are bloodshot, his hair is a mess, and he looks like he hasn’t slept in days and that makes my chest pull tight.

His brows pull together. “Hi.”

I try to remind myself he crushed me and I don’t care that he looks wrecked, but my heart still clenches anyway as I look away and fumble for my keys. I just need to get inside.

“Can you please look at me?” he says.

I shove the key in the lock and miss. My hand is shaking so badly that it takes me a second to even line it up again. I can feel him watching me, and that only makes it worse.

When I don’t answer, his voice drops. “Just look at me.Please, Aurora.”

I spin around so fast my bag slips down my shoulder, my breath shaking, every bit of the armor I’ve been forcing into place since that night splitting right down the middle.

“What?” I snap. “What do you want from me, Cole? To throw more money at me? What were those payments even for, some kind of bribe?”

His brows pull together. “You blocked me. It was the only way I could contact you.”

I let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking my head. “You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to show up here after pushing me away when I needed you most.” My voice rises, echoing down the hallway, but I’m too far gone to care. Let people hear. Let the whole damn building hear. “What are you even doing here? You want to remind me how we’re done? How I’m worthless to you?”