Page 50 of The Celtic Resolution

“Don’t.” I can handle talking about the lies and the rumors, and the rift forming between our families. I can even handle talking about the wedding but I can’t cope with anything else. The moment I start thinking about how I felt about him, and how I thought I had finally landed a good man, the pain in my heart becomes overwhelming.

“I know I hurt you because I know you cared about me. And I cared about you too, so much. It’s breaking my heart to know I’ve caused this and I can’t explain any of it if you don’t give me a chance. That’s all I ask. Please, Saoirse, please.”

He doesn’t stop talking. Bruno continues to walk toward me with that earnest, puppy look on his face and all these words about giving him one chance to talk. One chance to listen.

And part of me wants to. A part of me that I definitely shouldn’t listen to because it won’t do us any good. Revisiting this won’t bring me anything but pain.

But he doesn’t stop.

I can’t breathe.

Despite being in the middle of the street, it feels like walls are closing in around me and the air is growing too thick to breathe. My chest aches from how hard my heart pounds and a constant tremble moves through my legs.

I can’t.

I can’t listen.

I can’t do that.

Reflex has me pulling my gun. “Bruno, I won’t tell you again. I warned you what I would do.”

“You won’t do that,” he says and his confidence infuriates me. “If you meant it, you would have done it already.”

I hate that he’s right, but this needs to end. “Don’t contact me again. Don’t try to see me again. Leave me alone, Bruno. This? It’s over.”

He takes a step forward and something about how he moves causes me to jerk backward in an attempt to avoid him.

But my heel catches on the curb and as I trip, the gun goes off.

23

BRUNO

Everything’s hot.

Too hot.

Saoirse stands in front of me with the saddest smile on her face. I try to reach for her but something is weighing my hands down and I can’t quite lift them fast enough. Words catch in my throat and burn with how desperately I want to say something,anythingto get her to speak to me but when I open my mouth, nothing comes out.

Her eyes close and tears roll down her cheeks.

Dark regret consumes me until nothing exists except a warmth that repeatedly tightens around my left hand. It’s the only thing I have to focus on so that’s where my attention goes until a strange, repetitive beeping catches my attention. It grows louder and louder with each passing second, sometimes switching up in its rhythm but mostly settling back at the same pace.

Until I open my eyes.

Bright light stabs at my eyeballs and I close them again with a groan, which causes the warmth around my hand to tighten painfully.

“Bruno?” Mary’s worried voice drifts through the fog hovering in my mind. “Bruno!”

Mary. She’s here. Where is here?

Where am I?

The second time I open my eyes, I’m greeted with eggshell white walls, slatted blinds hanging in front of a square window, Mary’s worried, tear-filled face hovering beside me, and just behind her head, several machines detailing information I barely recognize.

“M–Mary?”

“Oh, thank God!” She screws up her eyes causing the tears to fall. “I was so scared you’d never wake up!”