Paris's POV

"Ember! Ember please wait!" I called and almost wept when I saw her pause, "Thank goodness, Ember."


She turned to me, her eyes reddened and I swear I wanted to curse myself. What exactly had I done?

In just one night, I had ruined everything.

I walked closer and tried to hold on to her, but she pushed me off, hate and anger boiling in her eyes


"don’t you dare try to touch me? Don't you dare! what do you want from me, Paris? Have you not done enough?"

"Ember, for the love of God. At least hear me out."


"hear you out? Do you want me to hear you out? Some audacity you must have, Paris. You're nothing but a two-timing liar. How could I have been so dumb to not see through your façade? But the question, is why? Why try to lie to me? Why try to put me through hell once again."

"no, no. you're getting it all wrong. None of it was a facade. None of it was pretend. I never lied to you."

"no? You asked me to give you a second chance, and I did. You asked me to believe you could change, and stupidly, I did just that. I was ready to open my heart to you for a second time. I was ready to throw it all away, for you. Again. But what do I get in turn? The first instance that you get, you go right ahead and run into the arms of your mate even after every promise that you made to me. But all of that was a lie. You're full of nothing but lies. Tell me, how do you sleep at night?"

"Until today, I slept like a man full of hope, because none of the things I've said these past couple of days have been lies. Neither were they half-truths, and I was most certainly not trying to mock you."

"then explain why you are here with Kate. A much firmer reason than the fact that she is your mate."

"There is no other reason, she really wanted to come and I was invited. I haven't formally broken things off with Kate, so I could not really tell her to be out of my sight. But you are the one I want to be with."

"I have amate that I once almost became so attached to, but what did I do? I rejected him, knowing very well that unless my bond with Jean was severed, I was in no way going to be able to have a life with you if I wanted to at least attempt a life with you. But what do I get in return?"

"Em, it's not what it looks like."

"no, I actually think it's exactly what it looks like. You demanded so much. So much, Paris, but you could not even give me the bare minimum. What's your excuse this time though? That she's your mate? That you couldn't control yourself? I've had a mate too, and guess what, I rejected him and I'm too scared to say I did it for you, but I did it, in hopes that I was doing right by my feelings for you and my feelings for him."

"say the words, and I'll reject her in a heartbeat."

"Can you hear yourself, Paris? You want me to tell you to reject Kate? I will not. If you can't do it, if you don't deem it right to do it, in the name of this life that you claim that you're trying to have with me, then I could care less what you intend to do with your life. "

"em. Just give me some time to make things right.”

“Time? You had time, Paris. I gave you time. Like till the end of our partnership. That much time. Your problem isn’t time. It’s that you’re simply incapable of being a better man.”

"No, Paris. No. you've fooled me for the second time, but there will not be a third. I want you out of my life, and I want that as soon as possible."

"you don't need to be making rash decisions in the heat of your anger."

"It's not a rash decision. It's the decision I should never have gone back on." she took a step back and glowered at me from where she stood, "I never want to have anything to do with you again." her chin wobbled, but her eyes stayed firm, so I knew she meant every word.

But I was unable to let go.

"Ember, don’t do this."

"I've done it, and I intend to do more, " she said, "get out of my sight." and with that she turned away, leaving me in an upheaval for the second time tonight.

I turned away dejectedly and walked back to my car. I didn't remember leaving the key with Kate, but she was in the passenger's seat, waiting for me when I got there,

"how did you even get my keys?" I asked, opening up the door to the driver's door,

" I took them from you, hope you aren't angry," she said softly, and I looked at her for the longest time before shaking my head,

"I feel too tired to be angry with you, I suppose," I said and ran my hand over my face,

"It hurts me, you know, seeing how much emotion you let yourself feel because of that woman."

"Perhaps it worries you because you prioritize the wrong things."

"How can I be hurt over you still feeling something for Ember be the wrong thing? How do you think that makes me feel?"

"to be honest, I don't know, and I sincerely don't want to worry about that just now. Let's be on our way, shall we?"

"fine then," she said, folding her arms, and pouting. But my mind stayed on Ember as we made our way home.

Ember's POV

I couldn't go back into the banquet feeling the way I felt, and I couldn't see myself, but I was sure my mascara had smeared and I looked like a raccoon.

Instead, I sat on the first bench I spotted and let the tears fall freely. I could not believe that Paris had hurt me again even after promising things were going to change. But more than all of that, I could not believe that I had believed him. So much so, that I was even beginning to envision a future with him again.

"stupid. Stupid. So stupid." I said and sighed deeply because I felt the worst kind of pain.

Minutes passed before I felt footsteps coming my way, and I looked up to see Axel walking toward me,

"Fancy seeing you here," he said softly and sat down beside me

"How did you know I was here?" I said softly, and laid my head on his shoulder,

"I never left the monitor."

"so in other words, you were watching me," I said looking up at him,

"didn’t think I would leave you to deal with that scumbag alone," he said and tugged at my hair,

"I guess not." I said scooting closer, "Feel free to tell me you told me so."

"And now, what good would come out of saying something like that?"

I shrugged, "just the satisfaction of it, I suppose."

"Cute, but no. we don't do that here."

"I guess we don't. thank you."

"family has no need for thank you," he said and I raised my head to look at him,

"what do I say now?"

"maybe you can tell me how you're feeling?"

I thought of it for a moment and nodded, "I feel lied to. I feel stupid. Jean, and William, all good men, but I decided to keep my eyes on the man who barely gave me the bare minimum. I feel like a fool, Axel."

"Both Jean and William haven't gone anywhere. Literally though. They are both still in there." but I smiled and shook my head,

"that's the most wrong move I could make right now. Running into the arms of one of them because Paris's arms won't hold me. It's not okay."

"maybe not right now. maybe if you give it time. Or maybe never. It might be never."

"never say never," he said and I shrugged, before resting my head on his shoulder once again,

We were quiet again, both lost in our thoughts, and I was unhappy with where my mind kept taking me. But then again, what choice did I really have? I wondered as tears ran down my cheeks,

"question though," he said, raising my face by my chin, and he looked grim as scrubbed at the tears that fell,

"yeah?"

"Can I hurt him now?"

I swallowed thickly, knowing that even though he had hurt me, I still didn't want anything to happen to him. But I was too tired, too broken to care so much,

"you know what? You can do whatever you want to him."