Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
I give him a slight smile. “We were both victims in Jasper’s machinations. I don’t hold anything against you.”
My ex is the one I can’t forgive.
Hope flares in his eyes. “Do you think there’s still a chance for us?”
My teeth scrape across my lower lip as I glance away, staring at the rolling green hills of Hawthorne Prep’s campus. They’re picture perfect with the autumn sun shining down on them. As much as I wish we could rewind time and start fresh, that’s no longer a possibility.
I force myself to meet his stare and slowly shake my head. “I don’t think so.”
His eyes widen as his grip tightens on my arms. “You don’t?”
“Too much has happened.”
“Delilah.”
The tortured way my name sounds as it escapes from his lips shatters my heart into a million jagged pieces. Whether he understands it or not, I’m doing what’s best for myself. I need time and distance from the situation to process everything that transpired. There’s no way I can do that with Austin at my side. He might not mean to, but he clouds my judgement.
Even as I stand in front of him, I feel myself wavering. The attraction is still there and just like he claimed, it hums beneath the surface, patiently waiting for a chance to break free.
When he doesn’t drop his hands, I whisper, “You need to let me go.”
He sucks in a harsh breath as his expression grows fierce, his fingers turning into manacles. “What you’re asking is impossible. I can’t do it. You gave yourself to me and nothing will ever change that.”
His words bring a sting of tears to my eyes.
It’s true.
That’s exactly what I did.
And…I wouldn’t go back and change it.
The last thing I want is to fight with him. I can’t do it when there is so much emotion churning inside me. So much that needs to be sorted out.
“But if you want me to back off, that’s what I’ll do, because it’s what you need to heal.”
Instead of releasing me, he drags me closer and wraps his arms around my body until I’m cocooned in his comforting strength as he presses a tender kiss against the crown of my head.
“I love you,” he whispers in my ear. “And nothing will ever change that.”
A sob gathers in my chest, making it impossible to breathe as I shove my way out of his arms. Once I’ve retreated, I inhale a lungful of fresh air and pray that it helps to clear my head.
Our gazes cling as I take a careful step away. His muscles tense and I get the feeling that he’s fighting himself not to leap forward. If he does, I don’t know if I’ll be able to survive the onslaught of emotion without falling to pieces.
My head and heart have never been at war.
But they are now.
All I know is that I can’t allow my heart to win this battle.
When I take another tentative step, his eyes flare and his hands tighten into fists until the knuckles turn bone white. When he remains perfectly still, I draw in a shaky breath before swinging away and running toward the stone building as swiftly as possible.
I expect his fingers to lock around me, dragging me back to him.
But it doesn’t happen.
It’s only when I reach the glass doors and yank them open that I throw a hasty look over my shoulder to find that Austin has disappeared from sight.
And my life.
DELILAH
With my lunch tray in hand, I stop and survey the cafeteria, looking around for a place to sit. It’s been two weeks since everything exploded in the parking lot. Only now does it feel as if everything is slowly returning to normal.
Well…a new kind of normal.
A better kind of normal.
Mom quietly turned in her resignation and found a new job at Hawthorne Public.
Trust me, the irony isn’t lost on me.
Or her.
She no longer refers to the kids as low-life animals and seems to enjoy working in the office.
The Morgans quietly pulled Jasper out of school after the meeting with the police. Last I heard, he was attending a pricey reform school in England. With him gone, I no longer hesitate around every corner and wonder if he’s lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce. Or if he’ll come up with a new twisted way to punish me.
Aubrey was suspended for the remainder of senior year. She’ll still be allowed to graduate from HP but can’t attend in-person classes. She sent a letter apologizing for her part in drugging me. I appreciate the sentiment but suspect her parents forced her to write it as part of her punishment.
Without my ex stirring up trouble, things have grown quiet. No one wants to bring up what Jasper did for fear of being attached to the scandal and facing stiff consequences from our new headmistress. Even the mean girl squad is taking a break from being their bitchy selves. The atmosphere is more what I always imagined Hawthorne Prep would be like before I actually stepped foot inside the building.