With that, I turn and shut the door.

~*~*~*~

MARCUS

“Just find me a fuckin’ buyer,” I bark down the phone to Ulio.

“I’m tryin’, boss. It ain’t easy.”

“Make it easy. It needs to go. It all needs to fuckin’ go.”

“You sure you’re makin’ the right choice here?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

He snorts. “This is all you’ve ever fought for, and now you just want to sell it? Just like that?”

“Yeah, Ulio, just like that. Now find me a buyer.”

“Right.”

It’s time to end this.

~*~*~*~

KATIA

“How’re you doing, honey?” Candy asks, sitting down beside me on the garden swing as I watch Penny play.

“I’m doing okay,” I lie.

It’s been two weeks since I last saw Marcus. He hasn’t called. Not to see me, or Penny. He’s just disappeared. That hurts more than anything, because it makes me wonder if he truly ever wanted me back, or if he just felt he needed to pretend he did so he didn’t have to feel the guilt anymore.

“You haven’t heard from him, he hasn’t asked to see Penny—how can you possibly be doing okay?”

I look over at her. “I’m getting there. It’s all I can do.”

She scrunches her pretty face up, and then sighs. “I won’t push you, but know that I’m here to talk, okay?”

“Talk to me about something else. How’s Ford?”

My best friend’s face lights up and I can’t help but smile. The two of them have been giving each other fuck-me eyes for weeks now, and have clearly been taking action, too. It’s more than that, though. Candy looks happy, and funnily enough, so does Ford. I even heard him laugh the other day.

“It’s going really well?”

“So it’s more than just . . . ah . . . hanky-panky?” I ask.

Candy giggles. “You know, I think it is.”

“I’m happy for you, Candy. He’s a good guy.”

She sighs. “He is.”

I wrap an arm around her and we hold onto each other like that for a while.

“Damn it, why do the girls hugging have to be related to me?”

I hear Landon’s voice and turn to see him coming down the stairs, followed by Wyatt, Ford and my father. I smile at his comment. “You’re disgusting.”

“Hey,” he says, flopping down beside me. “Don’t blame me. Girls hugging is hot. Girls kissing is—”

“Landon,” my father warns.

Landon rolls his eyes. “He’s such a prude.”

I giggle softly.

“Katia, do you have a minute?” my dad asks as he steps around in front of me.

“Sure, what’s up?”

He looks at everyone else, and then says, “Alone?”

My chest seizes. Why would he want to see me alone? I stand, turning and asking numbly if the others can watch Penny. Then I follow him into the garden.

“You’re freaking me out, Dad,” I say.

“I heard something today . . .”

I swallow. “What was it?”

He turns and faces me. His handsome face scrunches up as if he’s weighing up if he should really be telling me this.

“Dad, what is it?”

“Marcus sold the house.”

I gasp.

He goes on.

“And the business.”

My legs tremble. He sold the business? What does he mean, he sold the business? I don’t understand. Marcus wouldn’t just sell everything he’s worked for unless . . .

“He’s leaving me,” I rasp, “isn’t he?”

“Leaving you? Honey, he already has.”

“I mean, he’s leaving me here, alone. He’s leaving town.”

“I don’t know, Katia. All I know is it’s all gone. He’s gotten rid of everything.”

It takes me a moment to be able to gather myself enough to speak. “Marcus doesn’t just let everything go for no reason. The only reason he would want it all gone is to leave and start again.”

“I’m sorry, honey,” he says, putting his hand to my shoulder.

I drop my head and tears stream down my cheeks. I didn’t realize until this moment that I was holding out hope that something would change, that maybe, just maybe we could fix things with time. This only proves to me exactly what my heart truly knew all along. Marcus was never going to stay. He was never going to be the man for me. He was never going to sacrifice it all for love.

“I’ll be fine,” I whisper, stepping past my father and walking away.

I’m not sure if that’s a lie or not.

Right now, I think it is.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

KATIA

“Come on, K,” Wyatt says, tugging my arm. “You need to come out.”

I stare up at him from my spot on the sofa. “No thanks.”

“You can’t keep sitting here, wallowing over a man that’s clearly moved on.”

My heart aches at his words. It’s been another week since my father told me about Marcus selling everything, and since then no one has heard a thing. No one knows where he went, or what he’s doing. All I know is that he’s gone, and he’s not coming back.

“I said no, Wyatt.”

“Right, that’s it,” Wyatt says, jerking me so hard I stumble up. “You don’t get a choice.”