“I’ll make it up to you,” he said quickly, guilt softening his tone. “We can go this afternoon. Pick out a bigger engagement ring. Whatever you want.”
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm. Whatever I want. As if a ring could fix everything. As if I didn’t already know where his heart truly lay.
He sat across from me, his usual charming mask slipping back into place. “Ember, you need to stop being so jealous of Selene. We were together a long time ago. It’s over.”
Over.
The word echoed in my head, hollow and cruel. But I remembered. I remembered everything. The way he had looked at her. The things he had said when he thought I wasn’t listening. The first time I heard him say, “Anyone’s fine to be my mate. As long as I can forget Selene.”
I had convinced myself it didn’t matter. That love, real love, could overcome anything. But now, sitting across from him, I felt the weight of every mistake I’d made.
“No need,” I said, my voice cold and distant. “You go ahead. I’ll handle things myself.”