Aww Seven Exes Begged Cute Blocked novel Chapter 14

**A Promise Written on the Rusted Edge of Time by Dael Rowan Sire**

He was utterly breathless, clearly having sprinted the entire distance, his chest heaving as he stood before me.

“Ivy, are you really going to just walk away?” He blocked my path, his eyes wide with concern, a mix of desperation and disbelief.

“Move aside,” I snapped, irritation bubbling just beneath the surface.

“Absolutely not!” He stood his ground, unwavering. “We need to sort this out before you make any decisions.”

“Sort out what, exactly?” I let out a harsh, derisive laugh that echoed in the tense air between us. “Are you going to explain how you sold me out? How you threw me to the wolves?”

“I didn’t…” He began to protest, but his words faltered, hanging in the air like a fragile thread. We both knew the truth; he had betrayed me.

“Dylan, you’re not the person I once knew.” I fixed my gaze on him, my heart a cold stone in my chest.

“You used to stand up for me, to fight off the bullies who dared to call me names,” I reminded him, my voice steady but laced with pain.

“And now,” I continued, my tone sharp, “you’re the one pushing me into the depths of despair.”

“I never imagined it would spiral out of control like this.” His voice cracked, the weight of his guilt heavy in the air, as if he were on the verge of breaking down.

“You never thought?” I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh, the sound harsh and mocking. “What exactly did you think would happen? That Marion would just tease me a little? That everyone would accept it? That I would stick around to be humiliated day after day?”

With each word, I watched him flinch, as if my accusations were physical blows landing against him.

His face grew paler, the guilt washing over him like a tide. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s far too late for that,” I said, pushing past him with a sense of finality. “Keep your apologies. I don’t want them.”

“Ivy!” he called after me, desperation lacing his voice. “I messed up! I know I messed everything up!”

“Please don’t leave!”

“Can we just… start over?” His voice was pleading, filled with hope that felt misplaced.

I halted but refused to turn back. “Dylan, some things shatter and remain shattered.”

“Like trust. Like everything we once had,” he replied, his voice a whisper of what it used to be.

“Goodbye.”

Actually, it felt more like good riddance.

As I left Riverside behind, the weather was nothing short of perfect. The sun shone brightly, the sky a brilliant blue, as if the universe itself was celebrating my newfound freedom.

I relocated to a quaint little town in the neighboring state. Here, I was a stranger, a blank slate with no past haunting me.

I found work at a cozy coffee shop. The pay wasn’t great, but it was enough to cover my rent and groceries.

My manager was a kind woman in her forties, always warm and welcoming. “Ivy, you’re so young. Why aren’t you in school?” she often inquired, her brow furrowing with concern.

“Money’s tight at home. I thought I’d work for a while first,” I would reply, a hint of truth in my words.

It wasn’t entirely a lie.

“That’s tough, honey,” she would say, shaking her head sympathetically. “But you’re young. You have plenty of time to figure things out.”

Yeah. I’ve got time.

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”

“I know I messed up. Come back, please? I can’t do this without you.”

I read every single message, my heart a tumultuous storm of emotions, but I never replied.

What was the point? We were finished.

The girl who had trusted him more than she trusted herself was gone.

She had perished that rainy night, extinguished when he chose to walk away with someone else under his umbrella.

The person I had become needed no one.

Time seemed to slip away unnoticed. Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

The coffee shop flourished, and I had become quite adept at my job. I even crafted a few new drink recipes that customers adored.

My manager was overjoyed and even rewarded me with a raise.

“Ivy, you’re a godsend,” she said, her smile radiant. “I wish my daughter was half as responsible as you.”

I returned her smile, my heart swelling with pride as I continued to make drinks.

Life appeared to be settling back into a comfortable rhythm.

Until the day an unwelcome visitor darkened the door of the shop.

Chapter 15