"You can't force me to stay with you." She raised her voice. She was getting angry. That is not how I wanted this to go at all, but I couldn't stop myself from twisting the knife.
"I can find ways to make it harder for you."
"This again?" She shrugged. "I don't care."
I was feeling desperate. Holding on to a withering rope. "Why are you leaving? Is it because of Jack? Is he your new boyfriend?"
"Oh god? I am not fucking Jack! I am not leaving because of him, but because of you! We have no real relationship! You don't love me! There's nothing between us!"
"That's not true."
"Do you love me?"
I couldn't answer. I've never loved anyone. The concept was a foreign idea to me. Something other people do. Lesser people fall in love, not me. I cared for her. I wanted to be with her. But love? I had no idea what it looked like.
She smirked, but she didn't look self-satisfied. She looked even sadder than before.
Chapter 35
Thalia
"HE CAME TOyour place! How did he find out where you live?"Darcy's feigned innocence was easy to detect even over the phone. Anyone with half a brain would know she was the one who gave him my address. She clicked her tongue."Stalker behaviour."
"Did he call you?"
"Um yeah, I mean. I don't know, I would have to check my messages."
"Darcy."
She sighed, and I heard something clutter over her end. Her voice was clear and without the familiar echoey background noises one expects over the phone except for whatever fell in that moment. She must have been in the shop's storeroom."Is everything alright?"
"It's fine, I stumbled on a shoe. This storeroom is a mess."
"Jack should be there in a few minutes."
"Oh, right! Carey must have seen Jack. Damn! Was he jealous?"
Even I couldn't discount Carey's feelings. His jealousy for Jack was clear as day and would have been cute if it was because he loved me. "You gave Carey my address, didn't you?"
"What! No!" Another sound of boxes falling and curses from Darcy. "He must have gotten one of his PIs to tail you or something."
"Darcy…"
"Fine. Yes, it was me, and I am sorry. He pressured me into giving it up and, frankly, I think it's the right thing to do because…" she trailed off, losing her brash confidence in the last second.
"If you have something to say, just say it."
"I think you're making a big mistake. He's not cheating with Gemma."
"I know."
She gasped. "Then why did you leave him?"
I wasn't sure if I should tell her. I have confided in her in pretty much everything. Ever since I left Carey, I've been even more open to her about my relationship with Carey, leaving out nothing except for how I feel about him and the lack of his feelings for me. If I told her the real reason I left, I would be voicing that fear into the world, making it real. But I didn't need to. Darcy said it for me.
"You love him, don't you?"
"Yes. But it's futile because he doesn't love me back."
