Page 113 of The Cuddle Clause

There was silence, and then Roman’s voice, low and hesitant. “I knew he was sick, but I didn’t know he was dying.”

“Of course not. He doesn’t want anyone to know. But your time to shine is coming, Roman. I’m offering you your rightful place—if you can prove you’re ready for it. That means settling down with a real mate. Not a roommate.”

The silence that followed that sentence could’ve shattered glass.

“I don’t want to be told who to mate with, Lucien!”

I almost gasped. I don’t think Roman had ever stood up to Lucien like that in his life. My hand trembled on the doorframe.

Lucien chuckled. “Let’s wait and see what you have to say about my choice. Look who I found.”

I held my breath. Then I heard a soft, feminine voice.

“It’s been years, Roman. But I’ve never forgotten you. I would be honored to stand by your side.”

“Willow?”

And just like that, my heart sank into my stomach. Willow. The girl who got away. His one and only real love.

I stumbled back from the door, my breath catching in my chest.

Lucien clapped his hands like a man who’d orchestrated the end of a chess match. “Let’s get going. We can discuss business on the way to the mansion.”

I heard Roman hesitate. “Let me check on Maggie first.”

“No time,” Lucien said. “You can check on her later.”

There was a long pause before their footsteps moved toward the door. My head was spinning. I couldn’t stop hearing that voice. That name.

And then the door closed behind him.

Leaving me alone with a fresh, brand-new crack in the center of my heart.

I wasn’t thinking clearly,which was probably why I shoved an entire drawer of mismatched socks into a duffel bag like I was preparing for war.

The truth was, I couldn’t stay here. Not another hour. Not another minute surrounded by his things. His scent. His memory pressed into the throw pillow on the couch and his hoodie hanging crookedly on the wall hook.

In the bathroom our toothbrushes stood side by side like little sentinels watching over our intermingled toiletries. My face wash next to his shaving cream, my moisturizer next to his shaving balm. Two tubes of toothpaste. One a mangled mess and one precisely rolled from the bottom. Knowing it would be Willow’s items mingled with his soon, I smothered a sob and removed every last trace of me from the room.

This wasn’t an apartment anymore. This was a mausoleum for everything I wanted and couldn’t have.

Roman was gone. He’d walked out that door with Willow and hadn’t looked back. Maybe he was finally getting everything he ever wanted. His rightful place in the pack. The woman he’d once told me was his forever. Maybe they were riding in Lucien’s gaudy SUV right now, catching up, smiling at one another, finally closing the loop on a story that was always meant to circle back to her.

And I… What was I? The intermission girl. A safe harbor until his ship came in.

I wiped angrily at my cheek as another tear fell and grabbed the nearest pile of jeans. My hands trembled as I stuffed them into a bag. I didn’t bother folding. I didn’t care anymore.

If he wanted his old life back, who was I to stand in the way?

I zipped my suitcase too hard, and the zipper caught. I cursed under my breath, tugged until it gave, and stared at the suitcase like it had betrayed me too.

A knock rattled the door. I froze, heart jumping to my throat.

Roman?

Maybe he’d forgotten his key. Maybe he’d come back because he had something to say. Maybe?—

I practically flew to the door, yanking it open so fast I almost threw out my shoulder.