I hesitated, then took another step back from her. I may as well have been weighed down by quicksand, my movements were that heavy and slow. I should have known better. I should have realized what was between us was too strong, and she’d never be able to stay away. Hell, I had barely managed it myself. Even now, as she stood there with those wide, emerald eyes brimming with hurt, I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms. I wanted to return the embrace she tried to give and tell her everything would be alright.

But then I’d just have to chalk it up as another mistake. It would be more false hope.

“Cadence, I thought it would be better if we put some distance between us.”

She nodded her head, understanding prevalent in her eyes.

“I knew that’s what you were doing, but it’s okay. That’s why I came to find you. I completely get it, but we can figure this out. Screw your father. We’ll find a way to stay together.”

She reached for me again, brushing her fingers along the side of my arm. I swore I could see the air spark from the connection. Quickly, I pulled away.

“Fuck, Cadence. What don’t you get? We can’t. Sneaking around and having an affair? Come on now. You don’t want to cheapen yourself that way.”

She lifted her chin in stubborn defiance.

“It would be a temporary solution. But if it means I get to be with you, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

That’s not what I wanted her to say–but that was Cadence. She was always so worried about me and what my father was forcing me into. She had been understanding yet optimistic maybe something would change. That optimism would keep her blind to the reality.

Changing her mind and extinguishing her hopes would need a deliberate act of cruelty. Simply avoiding her wouldn’t be enough. I had to make sure she’d never want to speak to me again. I was good at that after all. I’d had years of practice, never wanting to be bothered with the latch-on kind of girl. The words had always come easy. But then again, I never loved any of those other girls. Hurting Cadence would kill me.

I looked into her eyes, memorizing every fleck of brown and yellow in the bright emerald green. I never wanted to forget the tiniest detail. In her, I found everything I’d ever wanted. A hole slashed through the center of me and I tore my eyes from hers. I stared at the ground, knowing what I was about to do would break her. After what seemed like a long, agonizing moment, I forced myself to look back up and steeled myself for what needed to be done.

“Cadence, let’s stop pretending,” I began, trying to come off as detached as possible. “There’s no need for some long, drawn-out goodbye tomorrow. Let’s just call it like it is. We had a summer fling, and it was fun while it lasted.”

Her expression was guarded.

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, I like you. I like you a lot. But there’s no use hanging onto a hope that things will be different. It is what it is. Besides, I’m used to a certain kind of girl–girls with money and status. You know, the blue blood types. And quite frankly, you’re just not it.”

A million emotions seemed to flash across her face. Disbelief. Confusion. Hurt.

“I don’t believe you. You’ve spent the last three months convincing me of how much you enjoyed being with me, and how much you liked that I was different from the rest. You haven’t suddenly had a change of heart.”

I shrugged and leaned against the side wall of the bathhouse.

“Sorry, sweetheart. Me and you, it’s just not working for me anymore.”

She sucked in a sharp breath at my cool tone. Then she shook her head as if she didn’t believe a word coming out of my mouth and glanced down at her watch.

“You get off in a few hours. Let’s meet at the lake, just like we normally do. Tonight’s our last night, Fitz. Things will be chaotic tomorrow once all the parents start arriving for the final performance, then you’re supposed to leave right afterward. Let’s make the most of the time we have tonight. I’ll even pack dinner so we can get to the lake a little earlier than usual. We can talk more about all of this then.”

She reached for me again, but I shrugged her hand off.

“Why bother?” I scoffed.

Just then, I saw Rachel approaching us on the path leading to the bathhouse. I prayed like hell she’d turn off in another direction, but she continued to walk straight toward us. Absently, I wondered why she wasn’t on set rehearsing with everyone else but didn’t bother to ask as she tossed me a wink and a flirty wave.

“Hey, Fitz,” she drawled.

Cadence’s face pinched up with jealousy, but she didn’t say anything as Rachel continued on through the main door of the bathhouse. That jealousy caused an idea to form in my head, one that I wasn’t sure I could follow through with. However, I knew I needed to nurture the seed of doubt I had already planted in her head, and this might be the only way to help it grow.

Willoughby. Remember Willoughby.

I clenched my fists, knowing my next words would be the most heinous of all.

“It’s over between us, Cadence. No more lake. No more late-night swims. Leave me alone. I just want to enjoy my last night here.”

Cadence, whose eyes had followed Rachel into the bathhouse, now turned back to me. She looked annoyed, but not angry or hurt. She still wasn’t falling for any of my bullshit.

“No. Just stop this nonsense. It isn’t you talking. You’re just trying to end it now to make tomorrow easier. You don’t need to run from me, Fitz.”

I shrugged.

“Who said I’m running? Maybe I just want to spend the night with someone else for a change.”

Her head jerked back.

“Like who?” she demanded, her voice laden with skepticism.

I looked at her, preparing myself to deliver the final blow.

“Rachel. From what I hear, she’s always up for company.”

I watched as her creamy skin turned ghostly white. She blinked several times as if not trusting what she was hearing. I stared at her hard, careful not to reveal any sort of emotion. If she had even an inkling about how much this was tearing me apart, my plan wouldn’t work.

She brought her hand to her lips and shook her head, still not wanting to believe me. However, I saw it the minute my words began to sink in, when all the hurt and betrayal took root. Tears began to gloss her eyes. I couldn’t bear to see them but forced myself to hold my cool gaze steady. Slowly, they started to fall, one by one, grazing the heart-shaped lips I knew I’d never get to kiss again.

“But we…” she trailed off in a whisper. “We…”

“We what? Fucked? So what?”

She lurched back as if I’d stabbed her yet I don’t know who felt more pain–her or me. Agony spread through my body, radiating over me like heat waves held to the hot summer air. Doing this to her was utterly destroying me, but I had to keep my resolve.

Her hurt expression began to morph into something else. Anger and outrage flashed brightly. She looked ready to tear into me.

“You’re a bastard!” she hissed.

Before I could react, Cadence’s palm landed square across my cheek. It stung, but not nearly as bad as the sting in my heart. Looking at her pained expression, it was as if she felt I was tearing her heart from her chest with my bare hands. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her everything I was saying was just an act designed to protect her. But I couldn’t. She needed to hate me so she could move on.

And I just did a damn good job of making sure she would.

Turning swiftly, she ran. Away from me. Away from my cruel words. I watched as she ran, breaking into a million pieces inside, the connection pulling with each of her steps until my soul ripped from the strain of it.

I hated myself.

My knees felt weak, and I thought they might buckle. Giving in, I bent at the waist and braced my hands on my thighs. Cadence had been the only warmth I’d felt since before my mother died. She was the light that had been missing all of these years. Now that I had deliberately and hurtfully pushed her away, I knew nothing but darkness would be in my future.

And I deserved it.