Aww Seven Exes Begged Cute Blocked novel Chapter 33

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

River was draped all over him, her laughter ringing out like music as she teased, “Our case of beer? Please! I could still out-drink you any day. Bryce, are you really giving up?”

Bryce’s laughter echoed in the air until his gaze landed on me. Suddenly, his laughter froze, and he gently peeled River off him, as if she were a clingy vine he needed to prune.

I stood there, heart racing, waiting for the familiar signs—the tears, the drama, the jealousy that used to spill from me like an overfilled cup.

But this time? I didn’t even glance in his direction. I adjusted the box I was carrying, my fingers tightening around the edges, and continued on my path.

That’s when he stepped right in front of me, his familiar arrogant grin plastered across his face once more.

“Okay, okay—trash everything else if you must, but please keep the wooden bear. I spent weeks carving that thing. My hand still has PTSD from it!”

I stared straight through him, my heart a fortress against his charm. “Don’t worry, Bryce. I have no interest in reminders of what once was.”

He chuckled, as if I had told him the funniest joke in the world. “Your loss, princess.”

As I turned on my heel, determined to walk away from this mess,

River suddenly grabbed my wrist, her grip firm yet pleading. “Maddie, wait. Don’t overthink this.”

“I had too much to drink, so Bryce walked me back. We’re literally just friends. I’m basically one of the guys, okay?”

“‘One of the guys?’” I snapped, my voice rising enough to catch the attention of students passing by, their curious glances making my skin prickle. “Do ‘guys’ make him run to CVS at midnight for tampons? Do ‘guys’ have private gaming sessions where they build houses together? Do ‘guys’ text him three times a week begging for milkshakes?”

I stepped closer, my heart pounding. “If you genuinely think you’re ‘one of the guys,’ get your delusions checked. But if you keep up this fake nice girl act in front of me—”

In an instant, River’s smirk vanished. She looked caught off guard, a flash of embarrassment crossing her features, and then a mask of faux-wounded innocence settled in its place.

“I didn’t know you were keeping score. Fine. I’m sorry.”

Bryce pressed his lips into a thin line and pulled her back, his expression a mix of irritation and protectiveness.

“Don’t apologize to her,” he said sharply, shooting me a glare that could have burned through steel. “She’s always been like this—thinks she owns me. Throws a fit over nothing.”

I didn’t stick around to hear more.

I marched straight to the dumpster behind the dorm, lifted the box high above my head, and let it drop with a heavy thud, the sound echoing in the empty space.

No turning back now.

—

Back in my dorm, I collapsed onto my bed, face-planting into the soft fabric and succumbing to pure exhaustion.

They became inseparable, their bond forged in reckless adventures—motorcycle rides, skate parks, cliff jumping—things I was “too careful” for.

He even brought her along to our study sessions. “She just needs help catching up,” he would insist, his eyes shining with that same infatuation.

Every date I planned got interrupted by a text from her, each message like a dagger to my heart.

Finally, I snapped, frustration boiling over. “Why do you always choose her over me?”

He looked annoyed, irritation flashing in his eyes. “You wouldn’t even like what we do. It’s not your vibe. I’m protecting you.”

Eventually, when I cried, he would just sigh, as if my emotions were an overdramatic play.

—

He would go play with River first, then lazily return with cake to cheer me up, his voice teasing. “Crybaby, you done yet?”

But what nobody knew was that breaking up with Bryce wasn’t about just one water bottle.

The real reason?

It all happened on the second day of training camp, the night I almost lost him forever.