A deep, fresh scar ran across his wrist.
“The doctors say my hand is ruined. I’ll never be able to hold a paintbrush again.”
For all his faults, Simon truly loved painting.
Losing the ability to draw was like having half his soul ripped away.
“If you’re expecting me to comfort you, you’re wasting your time.”
1/3
BONUS
Simon let out a bitter laugh.
“Chloe, I never realized you could be this heartless. Don’t you even want to know why I got into that fight that night?”
I shook my head.
“No. I don’t.”
But Simon spoke anyway.
“Because they said you’d never come back to me, I didn’t believe them, so I fought.”
I had no interest in hearing more, but he grabbed my arm, refusing to let me leave.
“Chloe, you’re single now. So am I. Can’t we give it another shot? I messed up before, I know that–but I’ll change!”
I turned back, startled.
Simon, of all people, was speaking to me in a voice so low, so desperate.
His messy hair fell over his forehead, and those once–bright, carefree eyes–now clouded and hollow–felt like a deep, fog-
covered abyss.
“Chloe, when they rushed me into the ER that night, all I could think about was you. I kept wishing I could taste the food you made for me again. And in that moment, I promised myself that if I made it out, I would come back for you.”
I pulled my arm free.
Looking at his gaze, so full of emotion, I laughed.
“Simon, who are you putting on this act for?”
I glanced around. “You sure no one’s hiding in the bushes? Is this some kind of bet again? Am I the prize this time?”
“It’s not like that, Chloe…”
Simon’s mouth twisted, his expression flinching as he scrambled for the right words.
I sighed and looked him in the eye.
“Simon, do you remember the first day we met? I was crouched outside a hospital, dealing with cramps, and you passed by and
threw your jacket over me. When I looked up, the sun was shining right behind you, and I started crying-
“You joked that it was just a jacket, that I didn’t have to be so touched.”
My gaze didn’t waver.
“It wasn’t about the jacket.
“Simon, that moment reminded me of Noah. Because it had always been him protecting me.
“Back then, Noah was married and unreachable. My grandmother was dying. I was falling apart.
+15 BONUS
“And you? You just happened to show up when I needed Noah the most. And you just happened to look a little bit like him.”
D
