PROLOGUE 1

This would kill him.

It didn’t matter how much he prepared; these next thirty minutes

were going to rip his heart out and pulverize it.

It was inevitable.

“We haven’t talked in a while.” She sounded equal parts accusing

and uncertain.

He didn’t blame her. If he were in her shoes, he would’ve given

up on himself a long time ago. She hadn’t, which made him love her

even more, but her loyalty made this conversation all the harder.

He rested his forearms on his knees and clasped his hands

together. He focused on the grain of the wood floors beneath his feet

until it swirled in front of his eyes.

“I’ve been busy.”

“With?”

“Classes. Bar plans. That sort of thing.”

“You’ll have to do better than that.”

His head snapped up at the sharpness in her voice. Looking at

her turned out to be a mistake.

His chest squeezed at the sight of her face and the hurt

swimming in those beautiful brown eyes. It’d been two weeks since

they were last alone together, but it may as well have been two

lifetimes.

His dread mixed with a strange exhilaration at being alone with

her again, and it took all of his willpower not to sweep her up in his

arms and never let go.

“Tell me the truth.” Her voice softened. “You can trust me.”It would be so easy to pretend everything was fine. To give her

the reassurances she wanted to hear and go back to the way things

were.

He did trust her—but the truth would shatter her.

So he did the only thing he could do: he lied.

“I’m sorry.” He wiped the emotion from his voice and funneled it

into the pit of despair swirling in his stomach. Could she hear it? The

panicked thump-thump-thump of his heart beating against his

ribcage, screaming at him to stop? “I didn’t want to do it like this, but

I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”

Farrah’s face paled. His heart beat louder.

“What?”

He swallowed hard. “It was fun while it lasted, but the year is

almost over and I—I’m not interested anymore. I’m sorry.”

Liar.

“You’re lying.”

He flinched. She knew him well. Too well.

“I’m not.” He tried to sound nonchalant when all he wanted to do

was fall to his knees and beg her not to leave him.

“You are. You said you loved me.”

“I lied.”He couldn’t look her in the eyes.

Her sharp inhale twisted his heart into a painful knot.

“You’re full of shit.” Her voice quavered. “Look at you, you’re

shaking.”

He clenched his hands into fists and forced his body to still.

“Farrah.” This was it. His breath came out in short, shallow bursts. “I

got back with my ex-girlfriend over the holidays. I didn’t know how to

tell you. I love her, and I made a mistake here, with us. But I’m trying

to fix it.”

Her sob ripped through the air. Tears stung his eyes, but he

blinked them back.

“I’m sorry.” Such a stupid, inadequate thing to say. He didn’t know

why he said it.

“Stop saying that!”

He flinched at the venom in her voice. She clutched her necklace

with one hand, betrayal swirling in her eyes.

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