Page 39 of Before Broken Vows

I curse under my breath.

She's breaking me all over again, and I didn't even realize I was still fractured.

I spent the last four years convincing myself I didn't need her. Didn't need love. That my family was enough. That my role in the family was purpose enough to keep moving.

And then she walked back in and rewrote the script with a single look.

Now I can't breathe without thinking about her.

Can't move without remembering how it felt to have her next to me.

And now I can't forget the sound of her voice whispering words to someone else.

Now, all I can think about is Stassi with some faceless man. Stassi smiling at him the way she used to smile at me. Stassi building a life, a future—all while I've been here, frozen in time since the day she left.

I'm a goddamn fool.

Screw this. I should just confront her.

Kick her out.

Tell her she had her chance and blew it.

But I don't move.

Because deep down, I know I was right to walk away. If I see her right now, I'll lose it.

Not with my hands. But with my mouth. With the things I'll say. The accusations I'll throw. The demands I'll make.

And if she cries, I'll crack. If she lies, I'll snap.

And if she tells me the truth?

I might not survive it.

I stand up and pace.

If she's lying to me now, what else has she hidden? The names? The threats? The real reason she came here?

What if I'm sheltering someone who's a danger to us all?

To Dimitri. To Calli. To Ares.

And I let her in without vetting her.

I never fucking do that. With anyone.

But I did it for her.

Again.

I need to remember who I am. What matters.

Family. The business. Finding my father's killer.

Not her.

Never her.