CHAPTER 16
EMILIA
“To give him his own invitation. Maybe he can bring his actual girlfriend as a plus one.”
Ah.
The word lodges in my throat, and the tightness in my chest finally makes sense.
Of course.
Of course he didn’t come here for me.
I was so desperate for comfort and some semblance of affection that I….
God, I feel stupid for even considering, for even hoping-for that brief, fleeting second-that this visit was about us. That somewhere beneath all the cruelty there was a reason for the tenderness, too.
That I still meant something.
But no. It was always about Liam.
It’s always about Liam.
Zane watches me expectantly, like my silence is an overreaction he didn’t expect. Like this should be simple.
I wonder how he can do it. Look at me and not see everything we had. Was it that easy to let go of an entire decade of love and affection?
Was I that hard to love? That easy to move on from?
That easy to forget?
I smooth my expression into something unreadable, something that won’t betray how I feel. “I’ll ask him if he’s okay with me giving out his number. But forget about the invitation.”
The lie feels heavy on my tongue. I’d rather die than ask Liam for something like that. But Zane doesn’t need to know
that.
He doesn’t need to know anything about me. Not anymore.
His smirk falters for a fraction of a second before he exhales and shakes his head like my words have somehow disap- pointed him. “Come on, Em. You don’t have to do this.”
“Do what?”
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at all.
“Pretend.” His gaze softens, but I know better than to fall for it now. “I get it. You’re hurt. Maybe you even wanted to make me jealous.” He tilts his head, studying me like he has me all figured out. “But Liam? Really? That’s a stretch, even for you.'”
Something twists deep inside me, its edges are sharp and ugly. But I push it down.
I meet his gaze, hoping it’s as steady and unwavering as it is in my head. “Believe what you want.” Then, before I can talk myself out of it, I say, “But if you ever bothered to listen to someone other than yourself, you’d know Liam is al- ready coming to the wedding.”
I let my words settle between us and watch as his expression shifts. His eyebrow lifts, then he chuckles quietly. He crosses his arms over his chest, tilting his head slightly as his eyes narrow.
“How? I have-”
“As my boyfriend.”
The words snap out of me before I can stop them. My fists clench at my sides. I hate that look on his face.
That smug, disbelieving smirk. Like the idea of Liam choosing me is so ridiculous it’s funny.
For a second, I almost laugh. Not because anything is funny, but because his audacity is absurd.
How can this be the same man who stood by my side for ten years? How can he look at me now and not even com- prehend the thought of someone wanting me?
“He’s my boyfriend, Zane.” My voice is steady, even as my heart pounds. “So he’s coming as my plus one. Whether or not you think someone like me deserves him doesn’t matter. Because he’s mine.”
Not yours.
I bite my tongue before I can say that out loud. I don’t waht to open that can of worms. Give the light of day to the unhealthy obsession that I’ve spent years pretending didn’t exist. I’d rather die.
Instead, I take a slow breath and lift my chin. “So if you don’t have anything respectful to say… get out.”
I meet his gaze, taking in those golden-brown eyes one last time.
When I first saw him again, I wanted to believe. Wanted to think that some part of the man I once loved was still there, buried under everything that happened.
But now I understand.
For me to find the man I once loved, he had to be missing in the first place.
Zane never changed. I was just skilled at twisting his cruelty into love.
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CHAPTER 16
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Once I stepped away-once I saw how people like the Becketts loved each other with such kindness, patience and re- spect-I realised something.
I was worth more than his version of love.
What Zane could give me wasn’t what I wanted.
But I still craved it. The toxicity, the familiarity. Because it’s easy to go back to what you know.
But now? I’m done. Completely, utterly done with the mess that is Zane Whitmoore.
In a way, I’m glad he showed up today. He did me a favour. If I had faced him on that cruise without this moment, I might have fallen right back into his trap. Contract and Liam be damned.
But now? My eyes are open.
And I see him for what he really is—just a pathetic boy pretending to be a man.
If I hadn’t been so blinded by him, maybe I’d still have my brother.
The thought slices through me, sharp and unforgiving. But it also steels my spine.
I won’t let Zane break me again.
“Because I’ve had enough.”
Zane’s face twists, and he steps closer like he’s just now realising I’m serious. “What the fuck are you saying?”
I click my tongue and glare at him. “Do your ears not work anymore? I’m saying everything you saw on the news is true. I’m saying you wasted your time coming here-I don’t need your comfort. I’m saying you should get the fuck out of my bakery before I call the police for trespassing.”
His hand shoots out, gripping my arm hard, his nails digging into my skin. I know it’ll leave marks, but I don’t care. Not anymore.
“You don’t mean that,” he says, voice low, like he’s begging me to take it back.
I lift my chin. “Try me. Let me go and fucking try me. I wonder what the headlines will say. Soon-to-be Married Hockey Star Arrested for Obsessing Over His Ex? Or maybe they’ll focus on your fiancée-”
He shoves me.
Hard.
I stumble back, losing my footing. My body hits the ground, my hand landing on something sharp. The knife. A sharp sting follows, and when I lift my palm, blood pools from the wound.
Zane sees it too. His face drains of colour. “Emili-”
“Out.” My voice is calm, too calm.
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But of course, he doesn’t listen.
“Fuck! I didn’t mean to hurt you-I-if you would have just shut up-”
“SHUT UP!” The scream rips out of me as I struggle to my feet. He reaches for me, but I grab the knife and point it at
him.
“GET OUT! DON’T TOUCH ME! GET AWAY FROM ME!”
Zane flinches, but for once, he listens.
I watch him go, his shoulders slumped in defeat. But the damage is done.
I sink back to the floor, sobbing so hard I can barely breathe. My hands shake as I try to wipe my tears, but I only make it worse, smearing blood across my face. A strangled scream escapes my throat.
I don’t know how long I stay like that. Minutes? Hours?
Eventually, I force myself up, stumbling into the kitchen. My fingers fumble as I grab my phone.
I dial Tessa.
When she picks up, my voice is hoarse, raw from crying, but I don’t care. I can’t care anymore.
“I need Liam’s number.”
