I threw my arms in the air. “It does! It has everything to do with us.”

Hudson slammed past me to the other side of his desk, but he didn’t go far. He rocked on his feet, his back to me, and I felt he was deciding. Deciding what, I didn’t know.

I circled after him until I was within an arm’s length. I could reach out to touch him with my hands, but I kept them at my side. “Don’t you see, Hudson? I want to know everything about you. I want to be everything with you. How can I when you don’t let me in?”

“I’ve let you in further than any other human being I’ve known. You know things about me that I never planned to share with anyone.” He turned his head to look at me. “Doesn’t that count for something?”

“It does.” I reached out to caress his cheek and he moved the rest of the way to face me. “It counts for so much. But see,” I dropped my hand to my side, “that’s where we’re stuck. Because you’re asking me to give up so much of who I am in order for you to keep your secrets, and that will tear me apart. I can’t do it. I can’t function. I obsess, Hudson. I’ve never kept that from you. Now, I’ve had a history of obsessing over things that weren’t valid, but this time, it’s not in my head. There are real things you’re hiding and can you not see how I’m going crazy over it? Everything you fixed about me is unraveling and I don’t know what to do.” I took a deep breath. “And I’m not even sure you care.”

“I care, Alayna.” He brushed a tear off my cheek—funny, I hadn’t even noticed I was crying. “I care more than I can stand it, and I will do anything to make this better.”

He braced his hand behind my neck and leaned his forehead against mine. It would be so easy—so easy to lean up and let him kiss away my pain and insecurity. His lips on mine could erase all darkness, could soothe any pain. Until that afternoon, I’d believed that like some people believed in their religion—Hudson could fix me, every time.

Except this time he was the problem.

And it wasn’t his touch that would fix me. It was words. Words he wasn’t willing to give. “Then tell me what I need to know,” I whispered.

He straightened and took a step away from me. “No. I won’t.”

He turned away, heading back toward the living room.

Once again, I chased after him. “Were you together? Did you f**k her? Did you f**k her that night? The night you met me?”

He paced the room. “No. No. No. And no. I’ve told you this before and if those words aren’t enough, why should I believe that any others would be any different?”

“Because those words aren’t the words I need. I don’t need denials. I need truths. What happened, Hudson? What is she to you?”

“Alayna, leave it alone.”

“I can’t!”

He stopped suddenly. After a beat, he said, “Then I need to leave.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I swallowed. “Like leave to cool down?”

He shook his head. “It means that we need to take some time apart.”

“What? No!” I’d thought my heart had hit rock bottom before. Apparently there was a whole chasm left for it to fall into—a chasm so dark that it obliterated my previous notion of darkness. And the cold and the ache of that place made every pain I’d ever felt pale in comparison. The death of my parents, my journey from crazy to sanity, even the betrayal from Hudson when he didn’t choose me over Celia—those were flesh wounds next to this.

“It’s for the best,” he said as he retrieved his jacket from across the back of the couch.

It seemed I needed to say something—anything—to make him stay. But I couldn’t figure out what that would be. All I could hear were his words repeating over in my head—time apart. Because why? Because I’d needed him to be honest?

This couldn’t be happening. “You tell me you care about me more than you can stand and now you want to break up with me?”

He glanced over at me, his eyes filled with sadness. “No, not break up, precious. Just take some time apart. Time to figure out how we want to deal with this.”

His words were compassionate and sweet, but they weren’t enough to mollify my hurt and anger. “You mean time for me to get my shit together.”

“Both of us, Alayna.”

I swiped the tears from my face with the back of my hand. “I don’t know where you get your definitions, but that sure sounds like breaking up to me.”

“If that’s what you want to call it.”

“I don’t want to call it anything. I don’t want it to happen!”

“I hope it will be temporary.” He swept past me, careful not to touch me as he did. He grabbed his briefcase from the hall then patted his pockets, apparently satisfied that he had what he needed.

Oh my god. He was really leaving. Really, really leaving. “Hudson!”

When he turned to me, I rushed to him. “Don’t go. Please don’t go.” I clutched at him.

His body remained cold and impassive, his eyes not meeting mine. “I’m doing this for you, Alayna. For both of us.” His words were warm, though he still wouldn’t look at me or touch me. “I can’t bear that I’m hurting you, and it will destroy me if I lose you. But there are some things that I can never tell you. And now we’re at an impasse, as you said. Because you say you can’t go on not knowing and I can’t go on without your trust.”

“I do trust you. I’ll learn to live with this if I have to. I’ll figure it out. I just can’t lose you!” I was desperate, making promises there was no way I could keep.

Finally, he connected his eyes with mine. “You’re not losing me. We’re simply stepping away. Maybe I can…”

He trailed off and I grasped onto whatever alternative he might be offering. “Maybe you can…what?”

But he had none to offer. “I don’t know. I need time.” Gently, he unwrapped my fingers from his clothing and pushed me away.

“But where are you going? This is your home.”

“It’s your home too. I’ll stay at the loft.”

Without looking at me, he stepped toward the elevator.

“Hudson! Don’t do this. Don’t leave.”

He reached out as if he were going to touch me then pulled his hand back. “This isn’t forever, precious. But I can’t watch you like this.”