Chapter 110 Chapter 110
Chapter 110 Chapter 110
My throat tightened instantly. “Ace, don’t.”
“Why not?” His voice rose as he stepped forward again. “Why can’t I say it? Why can’t I tell you the truth instead of pretending I’m happy with someone I don’t want?”
“Because…” I backed away once, then stopped myself. “Because it doesn’t fix anything. It doesn’t change anything.”
He blinked. “How can you say that?”
“How can you not see it?” My voice trembled, but this time I didn’t try to hide it. “Ace, I told you—I don’t want to speak to you anymore. What you did to Courtney doesn’t magically erase what you did to me.”
His face fell. “I never lied about loving you.”
“You lied by omission,” I whispered. “You let me think there was no one else. You let me fall deeper into whatever this is... whatever we are, without telling me you were with someone else the whole time.”
“Sabrina—”
“Don’t.” I shook my head, tears threatening again. “Just don’t.”
For a long moment he didn’t speak. He just looked at me like I was the ground under his feet and the air he breathed, and the one thing slipping farther from him with every second.
Finally, he said, “I ended it with her because I wanted you to see that I’m choosing you.”
“That doesn’t make it better,” I said.
“It’s the truth.”
“It hurt her, Ace. She didn’t deserve that. Scott’s right, you know. You shouldn’t have broken up with her that way.”
He looked away, jaw tightening again. “I know. But I didn’t want to wait. Not after how things went earlier. I couldn’t stand her talking about our relationship like it meant something. I couldn’t stand you sitting there crying because of me. I couldn’t stand that you thought I wanted her more than I needed you.”
My breath hitched.
“I wanted to get it out of the way,” he whispered. “I wanted to prove it.”
“Well, it didn’t fix anything.”
His shoulders slumped. “So… what? It didn’t mean anything to you that I did that? Nothing?”
“It meant something,” I admitted. “But it doesn’t fix what I feel. It doesn’t erase how you made me feel earlier.”
“Sabrina—”
“I meant it,” I said sharply, stepping back. “When I said I don’t want to speak to you anymore, I meant it. I need space, Ace. I need time. I need—”
“You can’t mean that.” His voice cracked. “You can’t.”
“I do.”
He stared at me, breath uneven. “Then what do I do? What can I do? Tell me. Anything. I’ll do anything at all. Anything you ask of me right this moment... I’ll do it.”
“You can start,” I whispered, “by letting me go.”
I started to walk away.
That was when he said it.
“Fine.” His voice rang out behind me, loud enough to stop my heart. “If breaking up with Courtney isn’t enough, then I’ll go to Scott. I’ll tell him everything. I’ll tell him the truth, Sabrina. I’ll tell him about us. I’ll tell him I love you. I’ll tell him I want you. I’ll tell him—”
I spun around so fast he flinched.
“Don’t you dare,” I hissed. “Don’t you dare go to Scott and tell him anything about us.”
“That’s what it’ll take, isn’t it?” he shot back. “If that’s what I need to do to prove how serious I am about you, then I’ll do it.”
“You want to ruin my life?” I whispered. “You want to destroy everything?”
“I want you, Sabrina.”
“Not like this!” My voice cracked. “This isn’t love. This is chaos. This is reckless.”
“I’m already losing you,” he said. “What else do I have to lose?”
“Everything!” I reached forward and shoved him lightly, but enough. “You’ll lose everything.”
He stared at me with so much pain in his eyes that I had to look away before I crumbled again.
“I’m not letting you lie to yourself,” he whispered. “Not anymore.”
“I’m not lying.”
“You love me.”
“Stop.”
“You love me, Sabrina.”
The worst part was that my silence proved him right.
His voice softened. “I won’t tell him. Not unless you want me to. But I’m not giving up on you. You hear me, Sabrina. I am not giving up on you.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” I murmured. “I can’t.”
“Then don’t talk.” He stepped closer. “Just… don’t walk away from me.”
But I did. Because if I stayed another second, the hallway walls would hear things I’d never be able to forgive myself for.
I walked out.
I forced my feet to move even when they shook.
I headed down the hall toward the entrance, where the sound of Scott’s voice drifted from the foyer as he helped Courtney down the steps.
I reached the doorway just in time to see the car pulling up. Scott guided her gently, a hand on her shoulder, whispering something reassuring as she sniffled and wiped her eyes.
Courtney’s father’s driver stepped out, opening the back door for her. Scott murmured goodbyes, told her to text Ace when she was home safe, and helped her inside.
The door closed and the car pulled away.
Scott stood there waving until the taillights disappeared down the driveway, then he sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead.
I watched all of it from the shadows of the hallway, hands trembling, chest aching, breath caught somewhere between guilt and grief.
Behind me, I could still feel Ace’s presence even though he hadn’t followed me out.
I hated that I knew it was him without looking.
I hated that part of me wanted to turn around.
I hated that I didn’t.
And I hated most of all that no matter how hard I tried to walk away…
…my heart still moved toward him.
By the time the car carrying Courtney disappeared through the gates, the tension in my chest felt too heavy to hold. I stepped back inside, letting the door close behind me with a soft click. The house felt strangely quiet after everything that had just happened.
I walked slowly toward the dining room, drawn by the soft clinking of dishes. When I reached the doorway, I saw Mary and another maid clearing the table, stacking plates and gathering glasses. Scott sat alone in his seat, elbows on the table, head bowed and rubbing the bridge of his nose like a man exhausted.
I tried slipping past quietly, desperate to avoid another conversation, but his voice caught me immediately.
“Sabrina.”
I stopped. Slowly, I turned. “Yes?”
“Come sit for a minute,” he said, gesturing to the chair beside him.
I hesitated just long enough for him to notice, then I nodded and walked over, sliding into the seat. Mary shot me a sympathetic glance, but I offered her a small smile before she stepped away with the final tray of dishes.
Once the maids disappeared into the kitchen, Scott exhaled deeply, leaning back in his chair.
“Is Ace okay?” he asked.
I swallowed, careful to keep my expression neutral. “He’s… adjusting.”
“Adjusting?” Scott raised a brow. “That’s a strange way to put it.”
“Well,” I said gently, “he just needs some time. Some space.”
Scott stared at me for a moment, searching my face the way he always did when he wanted the truth behind my words. I kept my eyes calm.
“You know,” he said softly, “I don’t understand why he acted like that. I’ve never seen him snap at a dinner table before. Not like that.”
I nodded, fingers tightening around the edge of my seat. “He’s been under a lot of pressure lately.”
“Pressure? How come I don’t know about this. Pressure from what?” Scott frowned.
“From everything.” I didn’t dare say more. “And Courtney showing up unexpectedly… it probably overwhelmed him.”
Scott sighed. “Maybe. But that wasn’t the way to handle it. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
He rubbed his forehead again, clearly frustrated but also worried. I hated lying to him, I truly did, but the truth was something he should never hear. Something that would crush him in a way he might never recover from.
So, I held onto the lie.
“I talked to him after you left,” I said quietly. “He just… needed someone to tell him you weren’t angry with him.”
Scott looked at me then. “You told him that?”
“Yes. And I told him you were right about how he treated Courtney.” I breathed in slowly. “He understood. He just… needs time to calm down, that’s all.”
Scott nodded slowly. “Good. Good.” He leaned back in his chair and exhaled again. “I don’t want him shutting me out. Not again. Not after everything we talked about last night.”
My stomach twisted. Last night. The last thing any of us wanted to remember.
“He won’t,” I assured him gently. “He’s just emotional. He’ll be fine.”
Scott nodded, relief spreading across his face.
“You’re good with him,” he murmured. “He listens to you more than anyone else.”
That sentence hit harder than I expected. I forced a small smile. “I just try my best.”
He reached over and squeezed my hand.
“You’re good for this family, Sabrina. You really are.”
My throat tightened. “Thank you.”
He let go and pushed himself up from the table. “I’m going to shower. Today’s been… long.”
I nodded and watched him walk away, his footsteps fading down the hallway toward the bedroom.
Once he was gone, I let out the breath I’d been holding. My hands trembled slightly.
If only he knew how complicated that space truly was.