ire smiled, but her eyes were entirely devoid of warmth.


    Mirroring his earlier absolute refusal, she replied, "No."


    "Can''t you give me one more chance?"


    "No."


    She shut him down again.


    She found the whole situation absurd. Laughable, even.


    How could he do this?


    How could he rip her heart to shreds, then casually turn around and ask for a do- over?


    What gave him the right?


    He owed her too much, hurt her too deeply, and yet he still expected her toe running back?


    "What if..." Felix lowered his eyes. Panic gripped his throat, twisting harder in his chest.


    He hadn''t expected his apology andpromise to bounce right off her.


    His throat felt painfully tight. The words felt like sandpaper in his mouth.


    He reached out, grabbing her hand and holding it tight, as if she were a lifeline.


    Only when he was certain she couldn''t pull away did he continue. "What if I told you I''ve fallen in love with you? Would you give me another chance then?"


    For a split second, ire was stunned.


    She thought she was hallucinating.


    Felix Quigley said he was in love with her?


    It was utterly ridiculous.


    She let out a dry, mockingugh. "But I don''t love you anymore."


    A suffocating silence nketed the hospital room after she spoke.


    When Felix''s grip finally loosened, ire snatched her hand back without a second''s hesitation.


    He stared nkly at his empty palm, the lingering warmth of her skin already fading into nothing.


    He murmured, "But you said you loved me."


    So love really could disappear.


    It was the second time Felix had taken such a massive, devastating blow.


    He needed to escape. He needed to be alone to untangle the chaotic mess of his thoughts.


    He needed to figure out what the hell to do to make ire stay.


    He stood up, exhaling a long, breath, and forced his voice to remain steady. "Focus


    We''ll talk about the steady. "Focus on


    fater


    He turned toward the door.


    "Wait," ire called out.


    Felix stopped, his hand resting on the doorknob.


    He turned back with a flicker of desperate hope, only to see her pointing at his


    bouquet. "Take your flowers with you."


    The light in his eyes died instantly.


    In the end, he took the tulips and walked out.


    It took a long time for ire to steady her own breathing after he left.


    Right on cue, Noreen Gilmore called to check on her recovery.


    ire''s voice was muffled, weighed down by exhaustion. "It''s just a cold. The only reason I''m still here is because my blood sugar tanked, and Old Mrs. Quigley ordered the doctors to keep me."


    "She made the right call. You need the rest," Noreen agreed.


    ire let out another heavy sigh, soundingpletely drained.


    "What''s wrong? You sound exhausted."


    ire stared nkly at the ceiling. "I just feel so tired of it all."


    "Talk to me. What happened?"


    That was what best friends were for, after all—to act as emotional sounding boards.


    "It feels like some people are just


    stray dogs. They barge into your life out of fleeting curiosity, wag their tails, and beg for attention. And the


    second you finally reach out to bet them, they bite you and run off leaving you to get a dozen rabies shots just to survive."


    Noreen caught on immediately. This was definitely about Felix.


    "What did jerk Quigley do this time?"


    ire recounted his delusional confession, word for word.


    She shook her head. "No one can predict his mood swings. He''s more erratic than a pendulum."


    "But how do you feel about it?" Noreen didn''t care about Felix; she only cared about ire.


    "I told him to get the hell out. I don''t have time for his hot-and-cold bullshit."