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My mouth fell open and then I quickly snapped it shut before pushing past him and walking up the beach.

“Chloe, wait!”

“NO. Screw you Dan. I can’t believe you just said THAT!” My arms flinging at my sides, I took large strides up the beach trying to get away from him. How could he say that after everything he knows about Xavier and how he has treated me!

“Chloe! All I am saying is maybe there are reasons behind his actions.” Dan suddenly was at my side keeping up with my large strides, much to my distaste!

“I don’t care anymore,” I said. “He could have the best reason in history to deny me and treat me the way he has and I still wouldn’t take him back!”

Dan wrapped a hand around my upper arm and pulled me to a stop. Pushing his sunglasses to the top of his head, he looked me squarely in the eye. “Wouldn’t you? Think about it, Chloe. You would.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” My eyes narrowed and I waited for his next witty line.

“Xavier is your mate. I know that he has treated you wrong and I know that you think you hate him but—”

“There is no thinking about it. I hate him!”

“Chloe, what if Xavier has a reason for—”

“Then he should have told me a long time ago! And he shouldn’t be acting the way he is now.” I interrupted, pulling my arm from his grip. “Why are you all of a sudden batting for him?”

“I’m not taking his side, if that is what you are talking about.” Dan crossed his arms and anger flicked through his eyes. “I want you to be happy and, as much as I want to be the person who will make you happy, I can’t be. Not when I know you really want Xavier. Whether you want to admit it or not, you do.”

“I don’t!” I threw my arms in the air and let out a sharp groan. “If you wanted me to make up with Xavier and let him treat me like dirt, then why bring me here? Why not leave me there under his control!”

“Because I want you to be sure.” Dan’s expression turned serious “I want you to understand what you are doing.”

“Xavier broke my heart. He is married to another woman. He has children with said woman. AND to top it off, he wants to play with my emotions and keep me side-benched until he decides what it is HE wants from me!” I yelled, crossing my arms. “Tell me again which bit I don’t understand? Because from where I am standing, it is really crystal clear that this man is POISON for me.”

“What if he had a reason for those things?” Dan eyes drifted to the sand.

“Do you think I want to hear it? If I wanted to hear it, I would have listened to him when he tried to tell me before I left.”

Dan’s head snapped up to look at me. “You mean you stopped him from telling you. You don’t care?”

“I already told you I didn’t.” I rolled my eyes. “Were you not listening?”

“You didn’t tell me you stopped him from telling you.” Dan’s eyes flickered with an emotion I wasn’t able to label.

“Does it matter?”

“It does to me,” Dan said, his voice softer. “It means everything to me.”

My shoulders sagged and I pushed the hair from my face. “I don’t understand, Dan,” I sighed softly. “I don’t understand why it matters to you?”

“Because,” Dan stepped forward and took my hand from my hip, “it tells me that you really have made your mind up.”

“I already told you I had.”

“Yeah, but things change, Chloe. And when I heard our dads talking, I knew I had to give you the choice to hear him out or at least encourage you to.”

“I don’t want to hear anything he has to say.” My eyes floated up from Dan’s bare chest to his face. “I can’t hear what he has to say.”

“Because you know you will go back him.” Dan’s eyes hardened slightly. His grip around my hand tightened.

“No, because everything he has ever said to me only hurts.” I stepped away from Dan, but our hands remained together. “And I can’t take any more hurt.”

“I just want you to be happy,” Dan sighed slowly. “If that’s with Xavier, me, that human kid, whoever. I just want you to be happy.”