Page 117 of How to Break My Heart

Maddy shakes her head slowly. “I could never hate you, but I do need time to process everything. You lied to me, Eva. All that time you lied to me. It hurts to be lied to by the one person you always trusted to tell you the truth.”

“I didn’t want to, but I was scared of losing you and adding stress onto your already full plate. It was stupid, I know. I was just so in my head.” I sigh, dropping my gaze to the dead grassy patch on the ground. “There have been a lot of revelations today. You take all the time you need.”

Suddenly, her breathing becomes irregular, like a wave of panic has hit her. “I need to get out of Cinnamon Springs, but I need to get out of this dress first. If you take me back to your place, people will look for me there. How about Billie’s? Can you call her? She’ll understand and no one will find me at her place, and I’ll be able to get out of this dress and take a train somewhere.”

With a heavy chest, I tell her the truth. “Um… there’s something I need to tell you. Billie’s mom passed last night.”

Maddy’s eyes widen in shock. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“She asked me not to. Plus, I knew you had a lot on your mind. I got the call when I was about to leave dinner last night. I drove over and spent the night with her.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Maddy expels a long breath. “She was so young.”

“She was—”

“I want to see Billie. I need to make sure she’s okay,” Maddy rushes.

“Why don’t we go back to my place? You can get changed, and then I can drive you over.”

Maddy nods quietly.

Before we leave, Maddy pauses mid-step. “This place… I understand now why you want it so much.”

My shoulders relax as I take in the lake one more time before leaving. “It was my first love—maybe that’s why it’s always had a special place in my heart.”

As Maddy settles into the car, I start the engine, and the loud roar takes a moment to settle down. It’s not hard to remember this is Aston’s car, his pride and joy, so I take extra care in driving back into town and ignore the pain inside my chest from the smell of his scent lingering in the car. A scent that reminds me of howbrokenmy heart is right now.

Back at my apartment, I help Maddy remove her dress as we both stay silent.

It’s bittersweet, and I can see her hesitation as I hang it on the coat hanger. The two of us just gaze at the dress, numbed by the reality staring back at us.

“They’ll call me the runaway bride,” she murmurs.

“So, let them.” I reach into my closet to pull out a pair of jeans and a sweater. Luckily, Maddy is my size. “Everyone in this town will talk, then they’ll get over it and find something new. It’s the cycle of Cinnamon Springs.”

“I wish I’d stopped this wedding sooner.”

“But you didn’t. So stop beating yourself up over something you can’t change. It’s done, Maddy. You need to focus on healing, not wishing you’d done things differently.”

“You’re right.”

With much reluctance, Maddy pulls her phone out of my purse to call Aston. She doesn’t even look at the screen, which must be swimming in missed calls.

“Aston,” she says softly. “It’s me.”

She drops her gaze to her feet, listening to him speak. I step out of my bedroom to give them privacy but struggle to ignore the constant wave of nausea in the pit of my stomach. I haven’t slept or eaten, and all the adrenaline is slowly wearing off.

As I stand inside my living room, staring blankly out my window at the bare trees slowly coming to life, my head begins to spin.

Maddy exits my room, wiping her nose. Her splotchy skin has returned from the obvious tears she’s just cried over the phone. “I’m going to drive to Billie’s, then meet Aston later.”

My chin lowers to my chest, avoiding eye contact with her. I’ve done everything I can, but in the end, they need each other right now.

And who’s going to take care of you?The voice whispers inside my head.

Maddy takes the keys to the Porsche and then walks toward the door. She opens it to step outside but stops momentarily. “Eva?”

“Yes?” I barely manage to answer.