The Last Breakup

11:59 p.m. "Happy 10th anniversary, my girlfriend!" With Blake West's handsome face before me and our friends watching expectantly, I closed my eyes and made a wish over the candles. 12:00 a.m. Blake immediately reached over and carefully removed the tiara tangled in my hair without pulling a single strand. His charming eyes curved into a teasing smile. "Happy breakup, ex-girlfriend." The private room erupted in cheers. "It's that time of year again! Congrats, Blake. You're a free man!" "Bets are open! If you think they'll get back together, place your bets with me. If you think they won't, go see Brooks!" Amid the flashing lights and pounding music, I remained quietly in my seat as though none of it had anything to do with me. As Blake walked past with an arm around Corrine Duffy's slender waist, he reminded me, "Same rules as always. One month." I pressed a hand against my aching lower abdomen without letting anything show. 'Blake, this time, it's for a lifetime. I'm getting married. I don't care who it is, as long as it isn't you.' Chapter 1 A bottle of champagne, shaken hard, shot toward the ceiling as everyone in the private room celebrated like they'd lost their minds. They were celebrating my boyfriend, Blake West, being single again. One moment, I'd been at the center of the crowd making a wish. In the next, I'd faded into the background, no longer the star of the night, and no one paid me any attention. Blake had never been much for parties like this. His friends usually had to practically beg him to show up, which only made our extravagant annual breakup party that much more anticipated. Blake and I met in college. He was the campus heartthrob, made even more desirable by his wealthy family, while I was the campus beauty who was already making a name for herself in the design world. We were young, and sparks flew easily. Our romance became the talk of colleges all over the area. But after enough time together, someone was bound to get bored. On our fourth anniversary, after I'd made my wish, Blake was silent for a long moment before saying, "Tessa Callahan, we've been together four years. Aren't you tired?" I looked at him, confused. All I could see was the dark whorl at the crown of his head, deep enough to draw someone in. He pulled me tightly against him, rubbing my arm as he coaxed, "How about this? To avoid the seven-year itch, from now on, we break up for a month after every anniversary. During that month, we don't interfere in each other's lives. "If one of us finds someone who's a better fit, the other person has to be happy for them. If neither of us does, we'll get back together after the month is over." I shot to my feet in panic, knocking over the cake we'd decorated together. Bright frosting splattered across the floor like an oil painting abandoned before the final brushstroke. His arms suddenly empty, Blake flexed his hands awkwardly, but he still pressed me for an answer. "Okay?" Maybe I was too shocked. My arms and legs had gone numb, but I had my pride too. "Fine." The tension left Blake's body the instant I agreed. During that month apart, I obsessed over everything he did. I compared myself to every woman around him. Had they held hands? Hugged? Kissed? The slightest sign of something happening between him and another woman felt as though it might be the final straw. The stress became so overwhelming that sometimes I'd wake in the middle of the night crying uncontrollably. On the nights I truly couldn't take it anymore, I'd call him. He always answered immediately. He never complained that I'd disturbed him or accused me of interfering with his life. Instead, he'd tell me silly stories in a gentle voice until I drifted off to sleep. "Tessa, is a whole month apart too long?" The next day, with three days still left before our month was up, we got back together. On our fifth anniversary, I thought he wouldn't bring it up again. I was wrong. Now we had reached our tenth year, and it had happened every single year since. In fact, every year after that first one, Blake insisted on waiting the full thirty days before getting back together. Not one minute or one second less counted as a month. Our annual breakup had even become a major event in our social circle, with everyone placing bets on the outcome. Even odds we'd get back together. A hundred to one that we wouldn't. Laurel Keaton suddenly dropped into the seat beside me. "Tessa, what did you wish for?" My wish? That I'd never see him again. Chapter 2 Laurel had been Blake's first one-month girlfriend—the one who'd lasted only twenty-seven days. She'd innocently stumbled into our breakup game, and when she learned the truth, she'd understandably resented us for it. Blake had brought her into our social circle to make it up to her. After years around this crowd, the unassuming small-town girl she'd once been had grown into a poised, striking woman. I picked up my water and raised my glass to her. "Nothing in particular." Brooks Palmer walked past singing a breakup song, shooting me a teasing look. "Tessa probably wished Blake wouldn't get snatched up by some hot girl this month and would come running back into her arms. Right, Tessa?" Laurel chased him off, then turned back to me. "If he's dating, you should put yourself out there too. Why put yourself through this? You're the leading lady of your own life. We're not doing tragic romance." My eyes crinkled into a smile as I leaned close and whispered in her ear, "Bet on us not getting back together. It's a sure thing." Laurel's eyes flew wide. Before she could ask me anything, another burst of cheering erupted across the room. Brooks grabbed her arm and dragged her over to see what was happening. "Wooo!" A spotlight landed on Blake, who was waltzing with a woman whose slender, fair waist showed between her clothes. Elegant, focused, intimate. "It's only been five minutes, and Blake's already picked someone. Tessa might actually be in trouble this time. Maybe I should switch my bet." "Wait. Doesn't she look familiar?" She did. It was Corinne Duffy. She'd been the one last year, too. Corinne was everything I wasn't—bold, passionate, hungry for excitement. To me, a month was only four weeks of Blake and me doing the same ordinary couple things—shopping, grabbing coffee, and spending quiet time together.. With her, though, a month seemed endless. She took Blake scuba diving and skydiving and dragged him through every adrenaline-fueled activity she could think of. Their final stop was a snow-covered mountain climb. I was so worried I couldn't sleep all night, but Blake refused to answer my calls. I dropped everything and traveled day and night until I finally caught up with them at the mountain. "You don't have any experience. You can't climb a snow-covered mountain." Blake idly played with one of his trekking poles. "Corinne will keep me safe." Corinne was even more blunt. "Tessa, don't you think you're overstepping a little for an ex-girlfriend? It's not like you're his wife." The wind and snow seemed to freeze every word I'd been about to say in my throat, leaving them lodged there, hard and painful. It was as though I'd forgotten how to speak. I simply stared at Blake. He avoided my eyes. Silently, I stepped aside to let them pass. Corinne's triumphant laugh carried through her face covering and rang in my ears. As I headed down the mountain, I thought, 'This is it. We're finally going to break up for good. I'll finally be free.' But ten minutes later, Blake caught up with me. "Tessa, I'll listen to you. I'm not climbing anymore." As two complete outdoor novices, we supported each other as we stumbled back to base camp through the deep snow. When we arrived, the place was in chaos. A rescue operation was being organized. "Corinne went backcountry skiing up there. She took a terrible fall." Blake's expression changed instantly. He shot me a furious glare, then turned around and headed back up the mountain. Blake personally helped carry Corinne down on the stretcher. She'd broken her leg. Her thigh was twisted at a sickening angle. She clutched my hand and sobbed pitifully. "Tessa, I won't blame you for what happened today. But you two already broke up. Please stop clinging to him." Looks of contempt, disdain, and disgust landed on me from every direction. The humiliation was so unbearable that I wanted to throw myself off the mountain. After nine years with Blake, somehow I'd become the other woman. Blake's lungs were affected on the mountain too, leaving him with a chronic cough. But once we came down, he ignored his own condition and devoted himself to taking care of Corinne every day. He personally carried her in his arms whenever she needed to bathe or use the bathroom, refusing to let her suffer even the slightest inconvenience. When Laurel told him I'd been hospitalized with a persistent unexplained fever, he'd just finished helping Corinne bathe. Both their faces were flushed. But Blake's response was ice-cold. "Since when did she start faking being sick? Besides, she has all of you looking after her. Corinne only has me." Chapter 3 For three months, everyone—including me—thought Blake and I were finally over. The people who'd bet against us getting back together were ready to pop the champagne. Then Blake abruptly ended things with Corinne and came back to me. Corinne showed up at his door looking utterly defeated. "Blake, my life is over without you." Blake told me to go home first while he sent her away. That night, he wrapped his arms around me, his breath hot against my ear as he murmured, "Tessa, broken bones take months to heal. I just didn't want to owe her anything. This time doesn't count as breaking the rules. You're the one I'm going to marry." I stared out the window at the moon hanging quietly in the night sky. "Then let's get married." He fell silent, rolled over, and went to sleep. … The music grew faster, shifting from a waltz into a Viennese waltz. Blake and Corinne spun rapidly across the floor, pressed close together as her skirt flew higher with every turn. After all these years, she was the first of his month-long girlfriends to make a return appearance. If I were still water, Corinne would be boiling oil. She always tempted Blake into taking risks, chasing things hidden far beyond his reach. When the song ended, they looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Blake, you kept your promise! You really came looking for me! You're the one who said you couldn't live without me. I'm just showing you my boundless love." She playfully punched him in the chest. The movement aggravated his old injury, and he immediately started coughing. Corinne's eyes reddened as she reached to rub his back, but Blake gently took her hand. Then he dropped to one knee and pulled something from his pocket. The private room, moments ago loud enough to shake the walls, went so silent you could have heard a pin drop. Corinne's eyes widened in disbelief as she clapped both hands over her mouth. Blake opened the box. Inside was a dazzling ring. The setting evoked a blue sky, its band sweeping around like the arms of a galaxy. Tiny pave diamonds formed a river of stars, while the center stone blazed like the brightest point in the Milky Way. Everyone seemed to stop breathing. It was breathtaking, more beautiful than the night sky itself. "You once took me to see the Milky Way from the top of a snow-covered mountain. Tonight, I brought it down for you." Corinne nodded through her tears, the enormous diamond scattering them into flashes of rainbow light. I stared at the ring, unable to speak. The sheer contrast crushed what little remained of my exhausted heart beyond repair. My stomach suddenly clenched in a violent spasm. I couldn't suppress the nausea. Laurel looked at me anxiously. "Are you okay?" My chest and stomach churned so badly I couldn't force out a word. All I could do was wave her off and brace myself against the wall as I slowly made my way toward the restroom. It hurt so much that my vision began to blur. Suddenly, I was back one month earlier. As our anniversary approached, Blake had been unusually restless. More than once, he'd looked like he wanted to tell me something, only to stop himself. When I finally asked what was going on, he asked me to design a ring for him. The theme was the Milky Way. I kept my expression calm, but inside, joy exploded through me. He remembered. Years ago, while we'd watched the northern lights together, he'd promised that one day, he'd pluck a star from the sky and use it to propose to me. There wasn't much time. I didn't let myself stop for a moment. From the first sketches and technical drawings to choosing the materials, polishing the metal, and setting the stones, I handled every detail myself. I refused to compromise on anything, not even the slightest variation in the color of a secondary material. All that time, I'd been looking forward to him proposing on our anniversary. He'd been eagerly waiting for the chance to hold Corinne again. He'd trampled all over my love, taken our memories and everything I'd poured into that ring, and given it to her. "Ma'am? Are you all right? Do you need me to call an ambulance?" The repeated voice beside me slowly pulled me back to consciousness. I'd fainted. So heartbreak really could make someone pass out. It felt as though I'd been unconscious for a long time. My entire body was drained. But in reality, only a few breaths and blinks had passed. I declined the stranger's help, took a deep breath, and headed for the exit. I couldn't breathe the air in this place for another second. As I passed the private room, Blake and Corinne were kissing amid everyone's cheers and congratulations. Corinne held her right hand high, displaying the ring with more pride than the Statue of Liberty holding up her torch. Chapter 4 I waited half an hour without managing to get a ride before Blake finally came out carrying Corinne in his arms. The early-fall air was chilly before dawn. The trench coat I'd picked out for him was draped over Corinne's shoulders. We'd only just broken up, and Blake still had enough shame to look uncomfortable seeing me like this. "Tessa, her leg hurts. The doctor chewed me out at her last follow-up because..." He stopped abruptly, realizing he'd said too much. My mind had been so foggy that only then did the truth slowly register. They'd never truly cut contact. Their car arrived first. Blake looked at me. "See you." I waved. "Never again." My voice scattered softly into the wind. He didn't seem to hear me. … Blake had always been a man who lived by rules and routines. Corinne was the only person he'd repeatedly broken those rules for. The night we broke up, he didn't come home. I stayed with our cats and dogs, watching the sun rise and set. There was a certain peace to it. Time seemed to move more slowly here. The only thing marking its passage was the house growing emptier, one possession at a time. On the fifth day, Blake called to ask what brand of razor he usually used. I was cutting up our photographs. There were tens of thousands of them. My hand eventually grew so sore that I gave up and burned the rest. On the tenth day, he ran out of mouthwash. I was sweeping up shards of ceramic from the matching mugs we'd once made together on a pottery trip. On the fifteenth day, he sent a courier to collect two ties. I splashed paint across the portraits I'd once painted of him by hand. Frames of every size were piled high enough to fill half a room. On the twentieth day, he had flowers delivered for my birthday. I sold our bed. It was an antique that had crossed an ocean to reach us. Supposedly, a king and queen from some distant country had shared that very bed throughout a loving marriage and had seven or eight children together. On the thirtieth day, I hired movers to clear out the nursery I'd so carefully prepared. The little beds, toys, and everything else I'd chosen for it were hauled off to a secondhand store. The moving truck had barely pulled away when Blake came home. The autumn breeze lifted his hair, surrounding him with a warm halo of light. He opened his arms. "Tessa, the month is up. I'm back. Thanks for waiting for me." I didn't throw myself into his arms the way I always had before. I didn't pout or cry. He laughed again. "So happy you're speechless, Tessa?" I thought about it before answering, "No." I wasn't foolish, and I hadn't been waiting for him. His brows drew together. Annoyance flickered across his face as he squeezed past me and entered the house first. "Why does the place look so empty?" Then he spotted the room I'd just cleared out and headed toward it eagerly. "You finally opened this door. Every time I asked what was in here before, you said it was a secret. "Guess I caught you off guard today. Let's see what you've been hiding in here. Don't tell me you've been so obsessed with me that you filled an entire room with love letters." I couldn't ignore the dull ache in my chest. That room had once been my love letter to him—the most romantic love letter in the world. By then, he'd reached the doorway. "Huh? Why is it empty?" Because it was too late. Still in high spirits, Blake announced that he was going to make me barbecue ribs. Then his phone rang. The house had become empty enough that the sound actually echoed. I could clearly hear the voice on the other end, distorted slightly by the phone as Corinne sobbed. "Blake, I cut my wrists. I'll be dead in twenty minutes." Panic visibly swept across Blake's face. I folded my arms and waited to see what he'd choose. He only said, "A life is at stake. I don't have a choice. This month has thirty-one days, so if I go see her now, it doesn't count as breaking the rules. "Tessa, wait for me. You have to wait just one more day!" For her, even a single day was worth arguing over. I smiled and waved. "Goodbye." One day, one hour, one minute, one second—I wouldn't wait a moment longer.