Prologue
“So after all this time, after all we’ve been through, in the end you’ll choose him?”
She could feel the undeniably clench in her heart, the pieces that he patched up beginning to break all over again. She took a deep breath, telling herself to get a grip, speaking but not facing him, “He’s the one I love, James. I choose him. I choose Adam.”
“Bullshit,” he cursed which made her flinch. He stopped cursing ever since she told him she hated it when guys did that. She dared to look at him and she saw the intensity in his eyes. Her heart started breaking again, the jagged pieces he placed back together falling one by one. James Parker was everything a girl could dream of. In another life, if there wasn’t a baby in between them, she would’ve accepted and boasted that she was the lucky girl who got him.
She felt his arms circling her waist, his breath on her neck, “You’re not in love with him.”
The truth in his voice was evident and it was tearing her apart. Once upon a time, Adam might have held her heart but it wasn’t the case right now, “James, I have to go.”
She tried to get away from his grasp. A moment longer with him will make her stay, will let her choose the selfish option. And she couldn’t do that. Georgina needed him. What fight did she have against a woman with a child? She couldn’t go against them. She couldn’t tell James to stop being with them when he was just being a good man.
“I’ve told you this before, James. I made it clear from the start,” she said the words roughly at him, making sure that her tone was venomous enough. She pulled away from his grasp, looking at him straight in the eye, “If the day comes that he comes back, I’ll choose him. I’ll always choose him.”
He stood still in front of her and she never felt so bad. She hurt him. She hurt the guy who pieced her back together. She pained him with lies. Lies that pained her more. If only she could tell him, scream at him the confession that was bubbling in her heart ever since she realized she was in love with him.
“We can talk about it,” he said softly and those words were all it took to break her even more, “If you’re punishing me for never being there, we can talk about it, we can compromise.”
“I don’t want to compromise anymore, James,” she said, trying to keep her voice even, “I’m done. I’m done with this marriage. You’ll get the papers first thing tomorrow.”
She opened the door but before she could get out, she felt his hand grab her and he spun her around to face him. When his lips claimed hers, she momentarily forgot the situation she put the both of them in. When he pulled away, his blue eyes were so stormy that they almost looked grey. But she could see the fire burning inside them and then he said that one word that a part of her wanted to hear.
“Stay.”