Chapter 4: The Last Line I Drew

I walked over and took the juice back from her hand.

"I don't agree to her staying here."

Cole explained patiently, "It's only for a few days. Cody is emotionally unstable. If something really happens, would you be able to live with yourself?"

It was like this again.

Refusing meant I was cold-blooded, feeling wronged meant I was being unreasonable, and demanding boundaries meant I was driving another woman to a dead end.

"Call the police, change the locks, stay in a proper hotel, find her parents. There are plenty of ways. Why does she have to move into the home of her ex-boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend?"

Cole's face grew cold.

"Do you have to argue semantics at a time like this?"

"If you really treat this place like her home, that's fine too."

I turned back to my room and stuffed my unpacked clothes into my suitcase.

Cole followed me in and pressed down on the lid of the suitcase.

"Where are you going?"

"Making room for you two."

"I already told you, there's nothing going on between her and me. Why do you always think of things in such a filthy way?"

Those words stabbed in like the point of a knife.

I looked up at the man I had loved for six years and suddenly felt he was a stranger.

"You hold her hand, wear matching rings, spend holidays with her, and let all our friends recognize her as your girlfriend. Now you even brought her back to the apartment we've lived in for three years."

"Cole, I'm just saying what you two actually did. What's so filthy about that?"

He opened his mouth but couldn't answer.

A sharp crash suddenly came from the living room.

Elise had broken a cup.

Almost instinctively, Cole let go of the suitcase and turned to walk out.

"Elise?"

She was squatting beside the scattered shards, her tears falling silently.

"I'm sorry. I should just leave. It's all because of me that you two are fighting like this."

She reached out to pick up the broken porcelain.

Cole grabbed her wrist and sharply stopped her. "Don't touch it!"

He pulled her up and lowered his head to check her fingers, his tone softening completely.

"Did you cut yourself?"

I dragged my suitcase past them.

Cole finally snapped out of it and grabbed the handle.

"It's too late tonight. Stop throwing a fit. Elise takes the master bedroom, you sleep in the guest bedroom, and I'll take the living room."

"I picked the bed in the master bedroom. I just changed the sheets today."

"She's a light sleeper, and the guest bedroom faces the street; it's too noisy. It's just one night. Do you really have to fight over this?"

Elise leaned behind him, looking at me with red eyes.

Suddenly, I couldn't even be bothered to fight anymore.

"I won't fight. Give it to her."

I forcefully yanked my suitcase away.

Cole's patience finally ran out.

"Mara, if you walk out that door today, we're really breaking up."

I stopped in my tracks.

Thinking that this line had finally subdued me, his expression softened, and he reached his hand out to me.

"Put the suitcase down. Don't push me."

I looked at that hand and let out a soft laugh.

"Cole, I've been waiting for you to say that clearly for five months."

"Fine, we're really breaking up."

When the door closed behind me, Cole didn't chase after me.

Through the door, I heard Elise calling his name in a tearful voice.

I also heard him comforting her in a low voice.

I pressed the elevator button and deleted his final form of contact.

This time, I didn't look back.