Merlina was still staring at his message, thumb frozen mid-air, when the screen buzzed a second time.
Craig, again.
Not a text this time, an incoming call.
"Shit," heat ran down her spine. The ring cut through the silence, too loud, echoing in a place she no longer wanted to be. She fumbled for the phone, clumsily silencing it, her thumb shaking against the screen.
For a moment, she just stared at his name. He was calling her, while she was still in his house, still holding the promise she'd made to his father only minutes ago.
The guilt came quietly, like a whisper she couldn't silence. He didn't know what she'd done, what she'd agreed to give up. And yet, even now, even after the chaos of their lives, he was still reaching for her.
Her chest ached. She brushed her thumb lightly over his name, as if that small touch could somehow make it less cruel.
