The words echoed in my head, each syllable a dagger. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I forced myself to keep breathing. Cross’s laughter, his casual tone, his I love you—it all felt like a cruel joke, a slap to my already fragile heart.
Did he think I was stupid? That I’d sit there quietly, pretending not to hear his sweet nothing to another woman while he kept circling back to me? It wasn’t enough that he had broken my trust once; now he was rubbing salt into the wound.
I refused to let him see me crumble. Not again.
The coffee machine beeped, pulling me from my thoughts. I poured a cup, my hands trembling slightly as I brought it to my lips. The hot liquid did little to soothe the burning ache in my chest.
Just as I put the cup down, my phone buzzed on the coun
