Page 214 of My Fake Dating with the Grumpiest Highlander
No more noisy visitors.
No more rival clans teasing each other over breakfast.
No more bagpipes screaming at dawn.
Just emptiness.
“Mary?”
I freeze halfway down the stairs.
Callum stands at the bottom holding a mug of coffee.
He’s wearing his usual dark sweater and that protective big-brother expression he somehow perfected despite technically being my cousin.
“Hey,” I say, trying to smile.
It probably looks more like a grimace.
“Going somewhere?”
His eyes sweep over my blazer, purse, and heels.
“I have a job interview.”
The words come out sharper than I intended.
Callum stays silent for a long moment.
“You should have coffee first.”
“I don’t have time, I?—”
“Mary.”
His voice is gentle but firm.
“You’re not really leaving for an interview,” he says quietly. “You’re leaving because you’re scared.”
“I’m not?—”
“I know that look. I wore it for months before I admitted how I felt about Jane.”
I look away.
“This is different.”
“Is it? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like someone running away because she’s too afraid to stay and fight.”
My fingers tighten around the edge of my blazer.
“I’m not running. I’m surviving.”
“Go survive somewhere else if you want. But don’t lie to yourself about why.”
He pauses.
“If you’re leaving because it’s truly what you want, I’ll be the first one helping you pack. But if you’re leaving because you’re hurting…”
