Chapter 25: Chapter 25: I’m Seeing Someone

*Lena *

My heart twisted in my chest, guilt overwhelming me like a tidal wave. What was I doing? Had I made a mistake following him to Los Angeles? Was sitting down to dinner with his family the right thing?

I had thought I could fix things, that maybe by being here I could help. But now, seeing him like this, I wasn’t so sure. Instead of helping, maybe all I’d done was make things worse. I felt utterly useless as if every decision I’d made in the past few days had only driven him deeper into despair. A cruel voice in the back of my mind whispered that I was a monster—a man-eating monster—who should have stayed away.

Maybe Eason would have been better off if I hadn’t followed him here. If I had just left him alone, let him heal and move on. But instead, I had selfishly wanted him back in my life. I wanted to see him, to be near him, even though I knew that the best way to protect him was to distance myself. I had done that five years ago, so why was it so hard now?