Page 124 of Ruined

My throat burned. “I’ve sent him a million texts. He didn’t answer a single one.”

She waved her hand in the air. “Men are stubborn.They get hurt and clam up like a turtle in its shell, even when they don’t want to be alone. Maybe he’s not texting back because he’s waiting foryouto show up first.”

I stared at her. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

She laughed. “Love doesn’t make sense. But if you care about him like I think you do, stop expecting him to do all the work.”

My jaw tightened. “It’s not that simple.”

She shrugged, tucking her robe tighter around herself. “You already know he means something to you, or you wouldn’t look so miserable. Stop overthinking it. Show up.Proveit.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Maybe he’s done with me.”

“Maybe he’s sitting alone, staring at his phone, wishing you’d walk through the door.”

I swallowed hard, my throat tight.

“Sometimes the people who love us need to know we’re willing to fight for them.”

I couldn’t look at her.

Fuck, she was right. Dominic had fought for me over and over. He’d shown up every time, even when I pushed him away. Now it was my turn to do the same.

I nodded. “Thanks, Mrs. P.”

She smiled. “Go get him, kid. Before he decides you’re not worth the wait.”

She gave me one last look before shuffling back inside. My chest felt heavier, but a knot loosened enough to breathe.

My mind circled to Dominic—the way his voice could cut through my defenses. How I missed him like a phantom limb, aching even when I wasn’t thinking about him.

I couldn’t keep smoking my way through sleepless nights. If my neighbor could see right through me, what the hell was I hiding from?

I grabbed my jacket off the railing, heading for the street. Dominic hadn’t texted me back because he didn’t know I was still fighting.

But I could fix that.

Iwouldfix that.

I parked outside the casino, waiting for Dominic.

The parking lot was quiet except for the faint hum of a nearby streetlight, its glow casting long shadows across the asphalt. My stomach churned, each minute reminding me how insane this all was.

Stalking a guy who ignored my texts.

Pathetic didn’t even begin to cover it, but I couldn’t leave. Not until I tried to fix this. I glanced at my phone. No reply. Nothing but the silence I’d been drowning in for weeks.

I wasn’t sure if I could handle seeing him walk out of that casino, his face as unreadable as it’d been that night he left me standing there like an idiot.

I took a drag from the cigarette.

Dominic wasn’t a guy you let slip through your fingers. He wasn’t replaceable. Hell, he wasn’t even manageable. He was like a goddamn force of nature.

I exhaled. “Get it together.”

The doors to the casino swung open, and my chest tightened.

Dominic walked out. He wore a dark coat over his suit, his expression sharp and focused as he glanced at his phone.