Broken kingdom

Chapter 51 Bianca

It takes every ounce of willpower I have to unhinge myself from Oakley when he pulls up to my dorm. 

Things aren’t awkward between us—because they never are—but there’s certainly tension in the air when I unstraddle his bike and hand him his helmet. 

There are so many things I want to say, but it’s hard when I have all this guilt surrounding my heart. 

I’m a certified cheater. There’s no getting around that. 

But what’s worse than facing the cold, hard truth is the fact that I don’t regret it. 

Yes, I regret hurting Stone—because I know how much this will kill him. 

But I don’t regret what I did with Oakley. 

Because he was my first choice.

And if the accident never happened and I never got amnesia…he would have been my only choice. 

But life doesn’t always play fair. 

Sometimes it throws you a monkey wrench that’s downright brutal. 

Sometimes—no matter how much you don’t want to—you still end up hurting people you care about. 

Hitching my purse up my shoulder, I palm the stubble on his cheek. “I don’t regret it.” 

Oakley’s eyes close and he pulls me closer, engulfing me in his warmth. 

I want to tell him I’m ending things with Stone for good. However, I’m so scared of being one of those girls who end one relationship and jump headfirst into another. Especially with someone who refuses to tell me things about our past. 

No matter how right being with him feels. 

“I’ll call you later.” 

At the sound of my voice, his eyes snap open. The longing in them has my heart doing its best to pound right out of my chest. 

Without warning, he grasps the back of my neck, hauling me even closer to him. 

His kiss is desperate and a little messy, like he’s afraid he’ll never have the chance to do it again. 

Like this is goodbye. 

A jolt of panic floods my system because he left me once before and turned my life upside down in the process. 

I’m afraid I won’t survive it if he does it again. 

“Don’t leave me.” 

“I promised you I wouldn’t.” His fingers lock around my jaw and he kisses me again, as if punctuating the sentiment. “I fucking meant it.” 

I clutch the neck of his shirt. “Goo—” 

I pause mid-sentence when I feel something solid. Curious, I tug the lanyard out of his shirt. 

And stop breathing. 

For a moment I’m positive I’m hallucinating, because why in the world would he have the St. Christopher pendant Liam got me along with the feather I paired with it? 

Perplexed, I step back. “Why do you have my pendant.” 

His chest lifts on an inhale and he starts to reach for me but stops himself. “You gave it to me.” A furrow appears between his brows, like he’s ashamed. “I should have given it back…but I couldn’t.” The sheer agony in his voice cuts into my heart. “It was the only thing I had left.” 

He starts to take it off, but I stop him. “No.” I might not be able to remember why, but I must have given him the most important thing in my possession for a reason. “Keep it.” 

“Are you sure?” 

I answer with no hesitation. “Positive.” 

My head feels heavy as I turn to walk away. 

His bike roars to life behind me. 

“Bianca.” 

I freeze, the pounding in my chest growing worse. 

“Don’t say it,” I croak out.  

Not now. 

Not until I end things with Stone. 

I don’t want the significant words on his tongue to be tarnished by the weight of all the guilt I’m carrying. 

I close my eyes, forcing myself to take several deep breaths as he peels out of the parking lot. 

I’m walking up the stairs to my dorm when my phone rings and Cole’s name flashes across the screen. 

Part of me wants to hit ignore, but considering the bomb I dropped on them earlier, he might need someone to talk to. 

I quickly swipe the green button and bring it to my ear. “Hey.” 

“Hey,” he says. “Listen, Jace and I are on our way with di

I rub my temple, thwarting off a headache. 

“I appreciate the offer but—”

“Don’t shut us out,” Cole interjects. “We’re worried about you.” 

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I’m the one who should be worried about them after everything I disclosed. 

“I’m okay,” I assure him. 

“You don’t sound okay.” 

He’s got me there. 

Deciding to be honest with him, I utter, “You’re right…I’m not.” I exhale sharply. “I’m breaking up with Stone.” 

If Cole’s surprised by the news he doesn’t let on. “I figured that would happen sooner or later.” 

“Why?” 

I can tell he’s mulling his answer over before he responds. “You’ve been different lately. More you.” 

A small laugh flies out. “Is that your way of saying I’m back to being a bitch?” 

“Nah.” He pauses. “Well, not today at least.” 

“Dick.” 

It’s his turn to laugh. “Look, I’m not the guru of giving advice or anything, but life’s way too fucking short to spend it miserable. If breaking up with Stone feels like the right thing to do, then you gotta do what you gotta do, you know?” 

He’s right. “Thanks for your support.” 

“Don’t mention it.” He clears his throat. “I’m go

I stick my key in the lock and turn the knob, but to my surprise, it’s already open. 

The moment I open the door I realize why. 

Stone’s sitting on my bed. 

And even in the dark, the force of his rage and hurt is so rich it’s palpable. 

I swallow hard. “Cole, I have to go.”