“We’re almost at the—” I started to say, but Louis cut me off with a wave of his hand.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes, Jane,” he said, his voice decisive. He glanced at me briefly, his expression unreadable. “Sorry, Alexandra. I’ll drop you off, and you can take a cab the rest of the way. Jane needs me.”
I stared at him, stunned, as the reality of his words sank in. He was choosing her again. Again.
“Louis,” I whispered, my voice trembling with disbelief, “I need you, too. I was going to—”
“I’ll make it up to you,” he interrupted, his voice curt as if this was no big deal. He wasn’t even listening.
Before I could respond, the car screeched to a halt at the curb. “I have to go,” he said, almost impatient now.
Tears blurred my vision as I fumbled for the door handle, feeling a wave of humiliation wash over me. I was being discarded again, like an afterthought. My throat tightened, and I could barely breathe through the overwhelming pain.
I stumbled out of the car, slamming the door behind me. Louis didn’t even wait to see if I was okay—he was already speeding off to Jane. My legs felt like jelly, but I forced myself to move, my feet carrying me forward without thought.
How could he do this? How could he just abandon me like this?
The answer was painfully clear—he didn’t care. Not enough, not like he should.
My hands trembled as I pressed them against my chest, trying to calm the storm of emotions crashing through me. I needed to breathe, needed to think, but all I could feel was the ache of being left behind once again.
I stumbled out of the small park, wandering aimlessly, barely paying attention to where I was going. It wasn’t until I reached the edge of the street that I saw it—Louis’s car.
Or at least, I thought it was his car. It looked exactly like his, the same sleek black paint, the same tinted windows. Without thinking, I stepped forward, desperate to get his attention, to make him stop.
But it wasn’t Louis.
The car slammed into me with a sickening thud, the impact throwing me back onto the pavement. Pain exploded through my body, and the world spun around me as I hit the ground, my breath knocked out of my lungs.