(Jasper’s POV)
Through the window, I watch her return to Dorian's side. He wraps an arm around her, pulls her close, whispers something that makes her smile. Lily runs to her, babbling excitedly about the pretty ring.
I get in my car and drive away, leaving behind the warmth, the laughter, the life I could have had.
The rain starts somewhere between the third red light and the parking lot of the church. Not a soft drizzle, but a cold, biting kind of downpour that makes it hard to breathe. I leave the car running.
It’s as if the heavens know the pain I’m carrying.
I don't run. I walk—slow, heavy, like my bones are full of cement. My shoes slap against the wet pavement. My coat is soaked through by the time I reach the old stone steps. I grip the iron handle of the door and pull.
It g
