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"But you caued "You were in shock, but you’ve been here every second since"

"Braden talked me into it," I confessed "He had to shake some sense into me And as he did that I realized that I can’t protectAnd apparently, bad stuff follows ain soo off the deep end, and I just can’t do that to Braden His life would be unstable with h hell, he deserves so as if you’re some mental case You’re not You’re only problem is that you won’t face what happened to your faainst the couch "You sound like Dr Pritchard"

"Who?"

"My therapist"

"You’re seeing a therapist? How did I not know this?" she slapped her hand acrossaway frory; her eyes flashing just like Braden’s did when he was pissed off "I’ a therapist Does Braden know?"

"Yes," I answered like a sullen teenager

"Well that’s so at least" She shook her head in disbelief "You have got to start dealing with your fa else will start to feel not so big and overwhel And you’ll realize you can take each day at a ti with you He’s a big boy, and clearly he knows a lot more about you than I do, and miracle of miracles he still wants to be with you"

"Funny You really do sound like Dr Pritchard"

"In all seriousness, Joss, I think you need to stop playing around"

"I’ so in her face "What? What is it? What do you know?"

She took a minute, almost as if she wasn’t sure she should say whatever it was that was on herin the pit of my stomach "Adam and I went out for lunch today"

"I knoas in here, staring at a manuscript I haven’t touched in days"

"Well" Ellie couldn’t ht the new er of Fire with him"

"And?"

Her eyes flicked up to er is Isla Isla is a five foot ten, stunning blonde who also happens to be smart and funny"

I think I felt my heart plummet into my stomach

"Joss, they seemed into each other" She shook her head "I didn’t want to believe it, but they were flirting and Braden as very attentive They see The pain of it is al as heartbreak, and I would know because I was feeling both at the same time I felt like someone had ripped open s, and replaced them with a bunch of rocks and stones I stared at the Christ This hy he hadn’t been around lately

"Joss?" Ellie touchedto cry I gave her a sad san to shake her head

"No this is good" I stood up, needing to be alone "I broke up with him because he deserves to find souilty about it because I was right all along He doesn’t loveup with the love of your life, right? This is good" Iout of her seat

"No!" Ellie hissed "That’s not what it is, or why I told you" She followedsince I had a lot of blood rushing inaround and just be with hiain Listen, I ed on it

"Night, Els!"

"Shit," I heard her mutter and then her footsteps faded away