"Don’t justify it," I snapped. "None of that excuses what you did—to me, to my family. You’re not just weak, Darien. You’re cruel."
Still kneeling, he reached for my hand, clutching it with trembling fingers. "Let me make it up to you, Ellie. Give me a chance to fix everything."
"You had your chances every step of the way. But you didn’t stop. You chose this path. And now that I’ve uncovered the truth, you’re scrambling for redemption? That’s not remorse. That’s cowardice."
"I don’t want anything more to do with you. I want you out of my life for good." I turned away, not even sparing him a glance.
He opened his mouth, as if to speak again—but then, a commotion erupted down the hall.
"Darien! Darien!" Austin came running, his voice echoing through the corridor, loud enough to draw sharp glares from nearby doctors.
"This is a hospital," one of them scolded. "Keep your voice down."
However, Austin couldn't care less. He charged forward, yanked Darien to his feet and shot me a nasty glare. "You’ve got time to play around with her? My sister’s about to jump off a building for you!"
Darien’s face drained of color. "What did you just say?"