Page 416 of His Hungry Wolf

“You see what they’re doing, right? When you said they’re terrible people, I didn’t believe you. Because how could you come from somewhere bad? But you were right. They’re all bad.”

“But they’re my family,” Lou said cutting me off. “And, like it or not, I’m stuck with them.”

“So, you’re just gonna let them bully you around?”

“Titus, Sey is my fiancé.”

“But…”

“He is. He asked me to marry him. I said yes. Maybe I shouldn’t have…”

“Maybe?”

“…but I did. And, until something changes, he will continue to be the man I agreed to marry.”

“You’re just saying this because you think if you’re with him, your parents will accept you. But nothing you do will change anything. You said it, they are incapable of seeing anything past what they get out of stuff.”

“But I have to try,” Lou implored. He sighed and looked away. “They’re my family and I have to try.”

My chest burned.

“So, what does that mean… for us?”

“You should go.”

“Lou?”

“We’ll talk about this when I get back. I’m sure Sey can give me a ride. It will give me time to straighten things out with him.”

“Don’t do this, Lou. Remember how you felt just an hour ago. We were meant to be together.”

“Are we?” Lou asked confused.

I held his shoulders. “Yes, Lou, we are.”

I wanted so badly for him to look me in the eyes. If he did, I knew he would remember what we meant to each other. But he didn’t.

“You should go, Titus,” he whispered breaking my heart.

“But…”

“You should go,” he said pulling away from me.

Standing in front of him desperately wanting to touch him, I felt lost. I was losing the only person I ever truly loved. I had only just won him. I wasn’t ready for things to end.

Ready for it or not, I knew what I had to do. I still loved Lou with every part of my being. And if he wanted me to go, I would. So, turning from him, I headed for the stairs. It was a long walk to the third floor, but when I was there, I headed to his room and collected my stuff.

It didn’t take long to pack everything into my bag and return downstairs. When I did, I saw that Lou hadn’t moved. Looking at him, he still couldn’t look at me. I didn’t bother to say bye.

Exiting through the front door, I headed to my truck. It was clear why Lou’s family liked him so much after I saw what the asshole had driven up in. It was an electric blue, convertible McLaren. I didn’t need to know how much it cost to know how rich his family had to be to afford it.

Maybe he was a better match for Lou than I was. What did I have to offer him past my love and endless devotion? He could probably give Lou the world. And wasn’t that what Lou deserved?

I got into my ten-year-old truck and pulled out of the driveway. I could only imagine what everyone thought as I drove off. I had just been fooling myself if I thought that someone as great as Lou would want to be with someone like me. I had been such a fool.

I was never going to be made a fool like that again, though. Never. It hurt too much. I wouldn’t be able to stand it. Lou had told me to leave moments after telling me he wanted to be with me forever. For over a year I had pretended that life was other than what it is. But I had to accept facts.

Nero had moved on without me. My mother had moved on without me. And now so was Lou. I was alone.