Page 102 of When Forever Falls Apart

“I really want to be alone, okay?” I tell them in a low voice. “Please, just let me be alone, I’m begging you guys.” And with that raw admission, I spin on my heel and begin walking away from them.

My steps speed up to reach home more quickly. As soon as I cast my eyes on the familiar brick building, a wave of relief washes over me.

Inside the confines of the apartment, I purposely keep all the lights off and lie on the sofa in the dark, staring at the ceiling. My mind spirals in frantic circles, struggling to grasp how I ended up alone instead of in Elliot’s arms. Tonight was supposed to be fun, a carefree outing at one of my favorite events of the year.

How it ended up with Elliot punching Myles in the face continues to baffle me.

The deeper I sink into the stillness of the darkened hours, the more unsettled I become. I reach for my phone where it’sresting on the coffee table, to see that it’s just past three in the morning.

Where the hell did the time go?

Spiraling, that’s where it went.

My eyelids have grown heavy from the lack of sleep, and my head pounds with a relentless ache. Even if I wanted to sleep, my mind won’t settle.

Suddenly, a surge of urgency forces me up. I need to see Elliot and talk about tonight, with no more secrets or lies, just a raw conversation with all our cards on the table.

I throw on my hoodie since the air is cool, and I can’t be bothered changing out of my midriff top. My movements become instinctive as I frantically search for my keys, finally finding them nestled in the depths of my bag. With determination coursing through my veins, I make the drive over to Peppermint Lake with no one on the roads but lonely ol’ me.

As I pull my car onto the coarse dirt beside the water, nothing but darkness greets me. All the lights on the boat are out, and either Elliot is sleeping or didn’t come back here.

For all I know, he’s already flown back to Paris.

The soft lapping of the water against the boat muffles my footsteps. I reach the stern and catch sight of Elliot staring into the water with a glass in his hand. As I move in closer, I see a bottle beside him, already empty.

Just like me, Elliot doesn’t look like he has slept. He’s wearing his clothes from earlier, and his hair is a mess of wild curls.

I sit next to him, but purposely keep my distance, noticing the dark circles that have settled beneath his eyes. Every part of me aches to touch him, the constant battle at the forefront of my mind, but I remind myself not to succumb to my weakness.

“What happened last night?” I ask faintly, eyeing the bruised knuckles of his hand.

Elliot swirls the glass, then brings it to his lips, finishing it in one go. Given he’s finished what appears to be an entire bottle, the last remnants don’t affect him whatsoever.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had brunch with him?” His voice is tight, every word laced with simmering anger. “You lied to me, Madelina.”

The question catches me off guard.Is that what this is all about?

“I… I was trying to process everything,” I stammer.

“Process how he wants to marry you…again?” he challenges, the accusation hanging heavy between us. “Do you know what it feels like to have to hear this from someone else and not you? Do you know what it feels like to think the woman you’ve fallen in love with is considering marrying her ex…again?”

I bite my lip, emotions swirling inside me.Elliot has fallen in love with me?His vulnerable words continue to play in my head. I should be jumping for joy, wrapping my arms around Elliot and telling him I’ve fallen in love, too. But instead, the wall between us continues to grow and now it feels like surrounding it is also a barbed-wired fence. Just one look at Elliot’s angered expression is enough to know his guard is up and nothing will get through to him.

“Elliot… I found myself in a bizarre situation, and I didn’t know how to respond. The last thing I expected was for Myles to want to elope, especially after I humiliated him and his family. Just because I didn’t say anything, doesn’t mean I wanted to get back with him. No, it was because I didn’t—and still don’t—know how to process how I feel about you.”

Elliot drops his head between his legs, running his hands through his hair with frustration.

“All I am is a rebound,” Elliot murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper and filled with a heart-wrenching pain.

I throw my hands up in the air, willing the ache inside my chest to disappear. “Is that what you think? If you think you’re a rebound, then wouldn’t that make me a rebound, too? You came to Cinnamon Springs to escape Nicole.”

“Then, if that’s all we are to each other…”

“I’m in love with you, Elliot, and it fucking hurts.” My voice trembles as I lay my heart on the line. “I wasn’t supposed to fall in love so soon after everything with Myles, but I did. I’m sick of hiding it, sick of burying my feelings because I’m scared you’ll run. This game we’re playing has to come to an end. It hurts, okay? I love you, but it hurts.”

Silence settles in the air between us, and only the sounds of branches rustling in the breeze echo around the boat.

Elliot gazes blankly at the water, his jaw clenched, each muscle in his body visibly tense. “They want me in Saint-Tropez in a week as the executive chef for a new restaurant.”