Page 160 of Heartless Sinner
“What if …” I looked up at him.
He looked as wrecked as I felt.
It took me a second to get my words out. “What if we pretend for this year that we can be together? Just for the year.”
I could give myself that much happiness. Not that I deserved it.
If we were being honest, neither of us really did.
Brooks looked at the phone before something caught his attention.
The journal peeking out from under his pillow.
Shit.
He kept staring at the journal. He took another step.
One more foot of space between us. It felt like ten.
“You must’ve read how you broke me.” His words were quiet. That made them hurt worse.
I wasn’t staring at a ruthless Night Son.
I was staring at the boy I’d fallen in love with.
He looked down at the tiara sitting on the bed.
“Why didn’t you break it?” I whispered.
“Why would I? You love your tiara.”
“So?”
He looked at me like the answer should’ve been obvious. “I’d never want to take something you love away from you.”
My stomach dropped.
But I almost did …
“Even on the days I tried to hate you, there were still lines I wouldn’t cross.” He stepped closer and picked up the tiara. He turned it in his hands, running his thumb over one of the stones.
“Breaking something so precious to you?” He shook his head. “I couldn’t do it. Stealing it? Sure. Pissing you off by refusing to give it back? Absolutely.”
The corner of his mouth almost lifted. Almost.
“Destroying it? Never.” He stared down at the tiara. “Having it felt like having a piece of you. And even a small piece of you was better than nothing.”
I lowered my head because I couldn’t look at him anymore. I was a coward.
I blinked hard and focused on the tiara. “What did I break during the Initiation then?”
“A replica. Given a car was speeding toward you, I figured you wouldn’t notice.” He tipped his chin toward the phone. “Read them.”
I didn’t need to reread them. I remembered them.
I read them myself all the time.
On nights I couldn’t sleep, I’d read the good ones. The bad ones. All of them.
