Page 109 of Madden

Davis folds his hand over mine, squeezing my fingers.

“As much as I’ve loved being Brielle Silvers, it’s not who I am.”

“Well, it doesn’t mean you’re a stranger either. You better not leave us and disappear on me.”

Disappear.

There’s that word again. It’s been tormenting me coming to terms with the fact Madden abandoned me and everything we had.

Like our relationship wasn’t worth fighting for, so he walked away.

“I’ll never be a stranger to you,” I reassure him.

He must pick up on the change in my emotions. He lifts his hand to signal to the bartender again we need another round of drinks.

“I figured you’d be ready for your next one.” He smirks. When I don’t say anything back, he asks, “Have you heard from him at all?”

I shake my head. “It’s probably better this way. Don’t you think? It’s like a death. You have to work through the stages of grief in order to move on. Talking to him or seeing him would only set me back.”

That’s what I told Serena too when I mentioned selling my ticket for tomorrow night. I never thought when I bought it, we’d end up in this place.

“I tried talking to him when I left, and he hasn’t taken the initiative to respond back to me. It’s only going to hurt more going and seeing him, and even worse facing him reject me again.”

I’m starting to understand what Hanna felt when he ended things with her. Even though he insisted they were never together, I guess neither were we.

I know what I felt when I was with him, and my heart breaks to think when he told me he loved me, he never truly meant it.

Even more, I hate how easily he could toss what we had to the side.