"Then how could you treat me that way? What did my love mean to you? Was I just your fallback option, a substitute who looked enough like her, or an excuse to stay close to Irene?"
Arthur went pale.
"I thought I'd never fall in love with you. But I didn't realize..."
I cut him off, "You thought you'd never love me. But you never once asked how I felt about being treated like that. You never stopped to wonder whether the girl you always put second was hurting."
He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"Go home, Arthur. I mean it. I want to be with someone who always puts me first."
He stood there for so long that even Noah looked up at him. Finally, he turned and left. His shoulders were a little more hunched this time. He no longer stood as straight as he used to.
The backyard st
