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I make the mistake of walking back into the bedroom. Just to see her one more time.
Just to make it hurt a little more.
She’s still wrapped in the sheets, hair messy, breathing slow and even. God, she looks so goddamn perfect it makes my teeth ache.
Her big brown eyes blink open and find me right away, like she’s been looking for me even in her sleep. And then she smiles.
That smile. Soft. Beautiful.
The kind of smile that could wreck a man.
“Hey,” she says, her voice still heavy with sleep.
I stand there like an idiot, the suitcase handle gripped so tightly my knuckles go white.
I can’t speak. I can’t move.
For the first time in my life, Carter Volcor—the guy who always has something to say—has nothing.
Not a damn word.
Her smile falters, confusion flickering across her face.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, pushing up onto one elbow, the sheet slipping low across her chest.
And fuck, if this wasn’t so broken, it would’ve been perfect.
But it’s not.
It’s already ruined. It’s already too late.
I turn and walk out.
No explanation. No goodbye. Nothing.
“Carter?” Her voice chases me down the hallway, soft and scared.
Once, hearing her say my name made me feel like I could tear the world apart just to give it to her.
Now it feels like a goddamn knife between my ribs.
How the fuck did I let this shit happen?
CHAPTER 15
Ivy
The door clicks shut. The sound echoes louder than it should, sharp and final in the quiet room.
I sit there, frozen, the sheets pooling around my waist, staring at the space where he just stood. Waiting for something.
A knock. A laugh. Anything.
But nothing comes. He’s gone and he didn’t say a word.
My heart starts to hammer, the panic slow and suffocating, creeping up from my chest to my throat. I shove the covers back and swing my legs over the bed, half-expecting him to come back, to say he forgot something, to explain.
But the room is empty. His jacket’s gone. His duffle bag, too. Only silence remains.