“The worst part,” she says, taking a breath. “Not long after the engagement between her and Charles ended, she married Charles Cavendish.”
My head jolts back. “They got married?”
Bile rises in my throat, and I think I’m going to vomit right here.
She shakes her head slowly back and forth. “No.” She stresses the word, and my nose scrunches in confusion. “She married his father.”
My mouth drops open.
Everything that Charles said about his rules and staying away from relationships filters through my mind, making complete sense.
She did a number on him.
“His father?”
“Yeah. Pretty low, right? The woman’s a snake.”
My head shakes back and forth. “She’s worse.”
Lily nods. “Raven, I’m going to level with you. I think he probably has many demons brought on by her. A lot of self-doubts. When he bared his soul to you, and you didn’t reciprocate, all that came crashing around him.” She sighs. “I’m not saying the way he acted was right, but this makes it a little clearer.”
I hurt him.
Made him feel like he didn’t matter to me while basking in the material glamour surrounding me.
Just like she did.
“I need to make things right.”
There’s a knock on my door, and Lily stands to open it.
Asher enters, walking right to me and pulling me into his chest.
It’s the first I’ve seen him since our fallout, and it breaks me further. Tears roll down my face, my heart breaking and mending at the same time. I’d missed Asher so damn much, and his coming here despite all that means the world to me.
“Are you okay?”
“No,” I whimper. “Not at all.”
He hugs me tight, cooing words of encouragement in my ear. When I’m finally calm, he pulls back.
“What did he do?”
The anger pouring off him is intense, and although it’s misplaced, my chest swells with love for him.
“Nothing. He did nothing,” I cry. “It was me. I ruin everything,” I admit. “I’m so sorry, Ash. I didn’t mean—”
He hugs me tighter. “Don’t. It’s okay.”
“It’s not,” I cry. “I hurt you.”
He sighs, placing a kiss on top of my head. “We can’t help who we love.”
Sadness.
It radiates from him, and I wonder if there will ever be a day when we can return to how we were. I stay wrapped in his arms, crying tears of grief, terrified that things will never be the same between us, but mostly, crying for the loss of a love I don’t think I’ll ever experience again.
Because feelings that deep don’t happen twice in a lifetime.