Page 250 - It Ends with Us

My hea rt beg ins to smash agains t the walls of my ches t. My nec k

beg ins to itch, so I bring my ha nd up and res t it there, feel ing the
pound ing of my hea rt agains t my palm.
It’s pound ing bec ause I’m ter rified of hi m.
It’s pound ing bec ause I ha te hi m.
It’s pound ing bec ause I’ve missed hi m.
His ey es slowly crawl from my stomach to my face. A hu rtful

ex pres sion takes over hi m, like I’ve just stabbed hi m straight thro ugh
the hea rt. He takes a step back int o my apartment and hi s ha nd s
come up to hi s mouth.
He beg ins to sha ke hi s hea d in conf usion. I can see the bet rayal all
over hi s face when he barel y forces out my na me. “Li ly?”
I stand frozen, one ha nd on my stomach in protec tion, the other
ha nd still flat agains t my ches t. I’m too scared to move or say

any thi ng . I don’t want to rea ct unt il I kno w ex actly ho w he ’s going to
rea ct.
When he sees the fea r in my eyes and the small gasps of brea th I’m
barel y inha ling , he ho lds up a rea ssuring palm.
“I’m no t going to hu rt you, Lily. I’m just here to talk to you.” He
swing s the door open wider and point s int o the living room. “Look.”

He step s aside and my ey es fall to someo ne stand ing behi nd hi m.
Now I’m the one who feel s bet rayed .
“Marsha ll?”
Marsha ll immed iatel y ho lds up hi s ha nd s in def ens e. “I ha d no idea
he was coming ho me ea rly, Lily. R yle tex ted and asked for my hel p.
He spec ific ally told me no t to say any thi ng to you or Issa. Plea se don’t
let her divorce me, I’m simply an inno cent bystand er.”

I sha ke my hea d, trying to und ers tand wha t I’m seei ng .
“I asked hi m to meet me here so you’d feel more comfortable
talking to me, ” R yle says. “He’s here for you, he’s no t here for me. ”
I glanc e back at Marsha ll and he no ds. It gives me eno ugh
rea ssuranc e to ent er the apartment . R yle is still somew ha t in sho ck,
whi ch is und ers tand able. His ey es keep meet ing my stomach and then

flicking away like it hu rts to look at me. He runs two ha nd s thro ugh
hi s ha ir and then point s down the ha llway whi le looking at Marsha ll.
“We’l l be in the bed room. If you hea r me get . . . if I start to
yel l . . .”