“And you didn’t tell me?”
“Yes.”
“Because?”
He waited. I swallowed hard, choking back my tears. He already knew the answer, he just wanted me to say it. “Because I knew you wouldn’t want me to compete.”
He shrugged. His eyes drooped, tears pooling.
Then I did something I never thought I would do with Jacob: I begged. “Please, Jacob. It was all I had. It was all I ever wanted. It was what I’d trained for my whole life. I had nothing if I didn’t have the Olympics.”
“You had me.”
I jerked my head back. He added, “You didn’t trust me. You took a chance that everything would be fine.”
“I….” There was nothing I could say to make this right.
He grabbed his coat. “We aren’t working like this.”
I ran to him. My pride was gone. “What do you mean? Yes, we are. We can move on.” The tears came harder. “Please don’t leave. I love you, Jacob.”
“Clearly, our past is a big fucking mess.” He shrugged into his coat.
I dropped my arms. “I grieved too. I lost you and the baby.”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. He whispered, “I know.”
“Please don’t leave.” I gripped his shirt.
“I need to think. Just…just give me a bit.”
I dropped my arms. I prepared myself for his rejection. “Are you leaving me again?”
He sighed. “No.”
“It looks like it.”
“Camille. I love you. As heartbreaking as it is sometimes, I forever love you. I can’t fix what I did. I’m so sorry I left you then but I need to think right now.”
He turned and left.
