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“After we stopped—fucking, Gabriel? Why can’t you say it? We’ve been fking for years”
“Keep your voice down!”
“I’m not your dirty little secret We were friends We had a relationship You can’t just ignore me and treat me as if I were trash”
“I’m sorry for how I treated you But listen to yourself Don’t you think you deserve to be the center of so after someone ants someone else?”
She tore her eyes fronant Why should now be any different?”
He flinched “Because you deserve to be with someone ants you as much as you want him It’s time to move on It’s time to be happy”
“You make me happy,” she whispered “You’re all I want”
“I’ to marry her” He sounded determined
“I don’t believe you You’ll come back You always come back” She wiped a few tears aith the back of her hand
“Not this tiuilt over me But no more We can’t see each other and we can’t speak I’ve been patient with you and I’ve tried to help, but I’m done As of today, your trust fund is frozen”
“You wouldn’t!”
“I will If you go back to Boston and begin seeing a therapist, I’ll see that you continue receiving support But if you contactto hurt Julianne, you’ll be cut off Perly “And that includes doing anything to hurt her life as a student”
“You’d do that? You’d just throw me away? I’ve sacrificed my life for you I lost my academic career!”
Gabriel’s jaw clenched
“I never wanted you to do that I did everything I could to help you stay at Harvard You dropped out”
“Because of what happened to me Because of what happened to us!”
His hands fisted at his sides
“I don’t deny that I’ve behaved abory But e the fact that this has to end Today”
He leveled his gaze on her and for a moment, he wore a look of compassion
“Good-bye, Paulina Be well”
Hedoors
“You can’t You won’t!”
His face wore a look of steely resolve
“I already have”
Gabriel walked into the Manulife Building without a backward glance, leaving Paulina outside, crying, and standing in the snow
Chapter Thirty-nine
May 2010
St James the Apostle Cemetery
West Roxbury, Massachusetts
Gabriel stood in front of the stone angels, their twin forms positioned like sentries on either side of the els were made of s spread wide, with a name etched on the marker that sat between them