36

Thirty-Three

Alix

Present Day

I got out of the backseat of the car I’d hired to take me home from Smith’s place and hurried up the five steps to my townhouse.

When I got inside, my keys were placed in a bowl on a table in the entryway, and I set my bag on one of the barstools. I continued walking until I reached the middle of the kitchen.

There were counters on both sides of me.

To my left was wine.

To my right were Smith’s flowers in a vase.

They were still alive.

Still beautiful.

Oh God.

I didn’t know what to do.

I didn’t know how to process what I was feeling.

What made it even worse was when my eyes shifted to the other side of the countertop and saw the note Dylan had written.

And the cup by the sink that he’d left with just a tiny bit of water in it.

And the engagement ring on my finger.

The one I’d put on in the car after I left Smith’s house.

Oh God.

My feet weren’t steady.

The earth was tilting beneath me, and I couldn’t find my balance.

The air I was sucking in was becoming