Page 103 of When We Fall: Part One

“Are you threatening me again? With my own fucking death?” I glared at her. Maybe I would just kill her.

She let out a mirthless laugh. “Oh, I would never dare to do such a thing. Instead, watch yourself, Lorenzo. I’m going to tear your fucking world apart. It begins tonight.”

“Bring it, little girl, but so you know, I will fucking rip your heart from your body before I let you hurt my girl.”

She backed away, grinning manically at me. “Don’t worry, baby. You’re going to do that all on your own.”

I closed my hand around Rosalie’s ring, my heart cracking more and more as I sat there away from her. My parents were coming in a few days. I imagined my father would be overjoyed that Rosalie had given me back my ring. My mother would be heartbroken because she loved Rosalie like a daughter.

And me.

I would fucking shatter if she didn’t put my ring back on.

I stared down at E,fast asleep in Rosalie’s bed later that night. She slumbered peacefully beside him, her red hair a tangled mess around her. Fox and Cole had opted to sleep alone. I hadn’t spoken to Fox since he’d left the club. Even in the living room, I wouldn’t consider anything in there a conversation.

But I needed to.

First, I needed to be with E, though.

Carefully, I pushed the covers back and slid into bed next to him. He mumbled something in his sleep that sounded like Rosalie’s name. It broke my heart to see him this way. As long as I’d known E, he’d been a fighter. His entire life, he’d fought.

I didn’t want to abandon him when he needed me most.

It was killing me inside. Rosalie’s words were gutting me. My priorities needed to get better aligned. I knew everything I’d been doing had been for my family, but she was right, even though she hadn’t come out and said it.

My priorities were also for me. The selfishness made me sick. I wanted my father to be proud of me. I was all he had for an heir. Letting him down gutted me, too. I wanted to feel accomplished.

Fucking hell, I was living in a nightmare I’d created.

I reached out and cradled E’s face, noticing how sad he looked even in his sleep.

His lashes fluttered momentarily before I was met with the green of his eyes.

“Enzo?” he murmured.

“Hey, E,” I answered softly. “How are you?”

“I’m OK.”

I continued to cradle his face, drinking in the way he looked. Whether the guys knew it or not, in addition to Rosalie, they made up my world. I’d die without them just as much as I’d die without her. We were a unit. Destined to always be with one another.

“I’m sorry about tonight. It was wrong of me to put you in that position. I never should have made you come with us. I’ll never do that to you again. I promise.”

He stared back at me before a tear slid from his eye.

“Really?”

I nodded. “Really, man. I’m so sorry. I lost sight of my priorities. It’s on me. You were right to want to go. I should have left, too.”

“Are you OK?” he whispered, his brows crinkling.

“No,” I choked out, my feelings coming to a head. “Rosalie gave me her ring back.”

His face crumbled. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault?—”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I fucked up. I deserve to feel this pain. This fear. It’s all on me. Nothing about this is your fault, brother, I promise you that.”

“What can I do?” he asked, scooting closer to me. “Do you want me to talk to her?”