Prologue

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A/N: Hello again! Thank you for stopping by to check out my newest book! Once again, this book has already been written from start to finish and will be updated very regularly! Your feedback means the world to me, and I'd really love to hear what you think so far! For a change of pace, this prologue starts us out in the middle of the book and as the chapters progress, you'll learn how these characters get here!

"Please, don't do this, Harrison. You're making a mistake," I say softly, stepping closer to him.

"You asked me to make a decision. This is my decision," he reminds me. He's not wrong.

"I know," my voice breaks.

"You should've told me," he snaps. His eyes are red and angry, but I know I deserve it. To say I messed up is the understatement of the year.

"How could you keep this from me? You held my entire life in your hands every day, and you didn't say a word,"

"And I'm sorry," she says loudly, stepping closer to me. "But put yourself in my shoes for a minute. I was afraid. I wanted to be sure. I wanted to get to know you,"

God. What am I doing? These excuses are terrible and I wouldn't accept them either, but I'm desperate to fix this. To change his mind and prove that if he gives me another chance, I'll never hurt either one of them again.

"You wanted what you wanted. You didn't think of what this would do to me. To her!" He's trying to keep his voice down so she doesn't hear our argument, but his words are sharp and it hurts more than if he'd just yell.

"Look at her!" I snap back. "Tell me you don't see it. Tell me you've never once, not even for a second, thought about it,"

"Why would I? This is a seriously fucked up situation, Brooklyn. I couldn't dream this up if I wanted to," he says. The look in his eyes tells me he's lying, but I don't dare call him out on it right now.

"She looks like Lindsey," he tries, but his voice is weak, like he knows he's full of bullshit. I don't dare call him out on that right now, either. Instead, I push forward. This has never been about Lindsey.

"So you'd rather I'd told you right away, before I was even sure?" I frown. "You'd have pushed me away the second I opened my mouth,"

"I don't know. And I'll never know, because you didn't give me that option. So now I'm not giving you an option. I can't do this anymore,"

"I love you," I tell him. I might be the most selfish person I know, but I love him...them...more than I've ever loved anyone, and I can't go down without a fight. "We're good together,"

"You lied to me for months, Brook. I can't get past it," he says sadly. I've always loved the way he shortens my name, but I wish he wouldn't call me that now. It's making this so much harder.

He may be angry with me, but I know he loves me. I know this is killing him as much as it's killing me.

"I know," I say. "But she needs me," I remind him.

I need her, too.

"I can't do this right now," he says, shaking his head. "I need time. We all need time," he begs.

"Time away from me," I say knowingly. I can barely breathe. But what did I expect? I'm the only one to blame for my mistakes.

I step away from him and take a breath. I need air. I don't know how I expected this to go, but it definitely wasn't like this.

He's staring at me from across the room, watching every move I make. His eyes are sad but gentle. I take a mental picture of this moment, capturing the memory in case it's the last time he looks at me this way.

I need to leave.

I turn and wrap my hand around the bannister as my foot hits the bottom step. I need to pack a bag. I'll stay in a hotel tonight and worry about the rest of my things another day. I can't take this anymore.

My eyes are so blurry I can barely see, but I'm not looking for pity. I just wish he could understand what went through my head all those months, and that I'd do anything to take it all back. I'd do anything for a redo.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"I'm going home," I say without turning around. I feel him stepping closer.

"Where's home, Brook? You live here," I can hear the frown in his voice.

He's pissed as hell at me, but he knows my situation. Harrison is the sweetest, kindest man I've ever known, and no matter how pissed he is, he'd never kick me out on the street.

"My parents' house," I clarify.

"Jesus Christ," he mumbles, and I know why. He knows that's gonna kill me, too, but what other choice do I have?

He can't do this. He can't end this thing between us....tell me we're over, then worry about me. It's one or the other.

"Do you want me to stay or not?" I snap, turning around to meet his eyes. I swipe the tears away from my cheeks and stare at him for a moment before he opens his mouth and breaks my heart all over again.

"No," he says as his eyes grow cold. I smile sadly, nodding as another tear slides down my cheek.

Nothing I can say will change his mind. I guess it's really over.

"I get that you want nothing to do with me, but don't punish Sophie for it. She's been through enough," I beg, meeting his eyes one more time before heading up the stairs.

My heart pounds as I pull open my dresser and tear clothes from the drawers. I'm crying so hard I can't focus, but I manage to remember my toothbrush before zipping my bag closed and heading down the stairs.

I remind myself none of this really belongs to me, anyway. The clothes, the furniture, the house...it all belongs to Harrison, no matter how much he tried to convince me it was mine.

He's in the kitchen when I walk down the stairs. He's looking out the big, bay window and his back is to me as I walk into the living room. We've said our goodbye, and I can't bear to look into his eyes again.

My hand hits the doorknob and I turn it slowly as I hear Sophie running down the hall.

"Brooklyn?" She asks, frowning. She's still in her pajamas, holding her tiny, worn teddy bear. "Where are you going?"

"I've got to leave for a little while, sweetie," I say sadly. "Take care of your Daddy for me, okay?" I try and she nods. I press a kiss to the top of her head and offer her one more smile before stepping through the front door.

The moment the air hits my lungs, I'm sobbing.

I tried so hard not to fall in love with him; now I remember the reason why.

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