Halfway through, the man on top of me went still.
I opened my eyes. Ellis was looking down at his phone, at an iMessage.
It was from Tessa. Again. It was two in the morning, and she’d sent a message saying she had a sudden craving for bagels from a specific shop.
“Sorry. I just really want one right now. You bought me those rainbow bagels before—can you send me the name of that shop?”
The warmth in him evaporated. He rolled off me and immediately started typing a reply.
This had become a pattern over the three years we’d been together.
We’d once made plans to see a movie, but he didn’t show up until it was nearly over because Tessa had a craving for the clam chowder he made.
The first time he officially met my parents, he was supposed to stay for dinner but left halfway through to bring Tessa an oat milk latte—the same kind they’d had on their first date.
On Christmas Eve, when he was supposed to be decorating our tree with me, he’d shown up at Tessa’s place instead, making her favorite roast turkey and cranberry sauce from scratch.
He was so focused on his phone that he didn’t look up until I reminded him, for the third time, that we were supposed to go to the County Clerk’s office next week to file our marriage paperwork.
“Let’s talk about it another day. Work’s been insane. Go to sleep. I need to go to my office and handle something.”
Ten minutes after he left, I opened Instagram on my burner account.
He’d posted on his Close Friends story: a photo of him holding a bag of bagels.
The caption read: Had to make sure someone got fed, even in this rain.
I stared at the photo for a long time. All I felt was exhaustion.
Ellis Lombardi, if getting married is such a hassle for you, then I won’t ask again.
If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 08 “Do you have any idea how worried I was? You were pregnant with our baby—do you have any idea…” I finally cut him off. “Ellis, we’re over.” He looked at me, uncomprehending, frozen in place. I made it plainer. “That includes the
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 07 I blocked Ellis and Tessa. Lucian took excellent care of me, and I was discharged in less than ten days. As he drove, he said, “I have an empty apartment, great location, good layout. You and your mother can stay there for
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 06 After a few seconds of silence, I spoke again. “A child should be born to two people who truly love each other.” “Ellis and I haven’t had that for a long time. Maybe… maybe this is for the best.” I was trying
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 05 I looked up and saw Lucian Hawthorne. He held me steady, his voice soft. “Coralie, you’re afraid of blood. Don’t look down. Just listen to me.” With the last of my strength, I asked, “Lucian… how’s my mom?” Lucian met my gaze,
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 04 Before I could speak, Ellis cut in, his voice dark. “No.” In all the time I’d known him, it was the first time I’d ever seen him react so quickly to anything. Avoiding my gaze, Ellis said in a low voice, “It’s
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 03 I went rigid, my hand instinctively flying to my stomach. Ellis was visibly thrilled. “The minute the doctor told me you were pregnant, I went and got your mom.” “Now that there’s a baby, our families need to talk about the wedding.”
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 02 When Ellis came home the next morning, I was still sitting in the living room. “You’ve been up all night?” He paused, his voice softening a fraction. “What did you want to talk about yesterday?” I looked at the man I had
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 01 Halfway through, the man on top of me went still. I opened my eyes. Ellis was looking down at his phone, at an iMessage. It was from Tessa. Again. It was two in the morning, and she’d sent a message saying she
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