Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
James’ lips parted slightly. do thing rude, right?”
She did.
She absolutely did
But honestly, what he’d done was even worse. He was in no position to call her out on anything.
After a long silence, he finally answered, cars burning. “You were… fine.”
Lily let out a long breath.
So he was going to be the bigger person. He wasn’t going to bring up the things she did.
The awkward silence between them dragged on. She opened her mouth, trying to come up with something to break the tension-when he suddenly spoke again, his voice laced with guilt.
“Leila, I need to apologize. I lied to you. As you already figured out, my name isn’t Elias. It’s James.”
“It’s fine.
She could understand why he’d used a fake name. They weren’t close back then, and she’d given him a fake name too. There was no reason for her to blame him.
But then his voice turned heavy, laced with shame and self-disgust. “There’s more I kept from you. I… I’m actually married.”
James closed his eyes in pain.
Thinking about how deeply he’d betrayed Leila, he wished he could carve the shame into his flesh-
But he’d already decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. That meant no more lies. He hesitated, then continued. “The reason I disappeared for over four years was because I was in a coma. When I woke up, I found out my family had already arranged a marriage. I’ve already filed for divorce with her, but… but I was drunk once. No-twice. One of those times I was actually sober. I wasn’t in my right mind, but… though we didn’t go all the way, we did have physical contact.”
“Leila. I’m sorry.”
The man who’d always been proud, composed, and untouchable was now covered in raw vulnerability. His voice was low, rough, even trembling.
“I feel disgusting. Like I’ve betrayed you. Like I’m not worthy of you. Leila… will you still have me?” Hearing the shame in his voice, the way he seemed to loathe himself, Lily’s chest twisted tight.
A sharp, overwhelming ache spread through her heart.
She wanted to throw her arms around him, to hold him tightly and tell him it was okay.
But she didn’t dare.
Because the reason he felt so ashamed-so dirty-was because he’d been intimate with her.
He thought he might have feelings for Leila.
But she wasn’t just Leila.
She was also the woman he hated most in the world-Lily.
She didn’t answer right away.
Frozen in place, she finally forced herself to ask, in a quiet voice, “You and your wife…”
James assumed she was asking about how he felt toward Lily. He answered honestly.
“My wife-legally-is named Lily. She’s… not a bad person.”
He’d spent enough time with her to know that.
Even if he wanted Leila to forgive him, his values wouldn’t let him lie or talk trash about Lily just to make himself look better.
But he didn’t want Leila to think he had feelings for someone else, so he added, “I just don’t like women.”
“Leila, I like men. I’ve only ever liked men.”
He… liked men?
Lily’s hand slipped, and her phone nearly fell from her grasp.
Back at the caf?, after she recognized him, she told him she was a man because she thought he was at straight alpha male-someone who’d never even think of being with another guy.
She’d hoped that lie would scare him off. That they could each go their separate ways with no more ties between them.
She never imagined…. that her desperate lie would accidentally hit the bullseye on his secret preference.
She’d thought she was being clever, but it backfired spectacularly. She’d lug her own grave.
If he really liked men.. then there was absolutely no future between them.
Because e no matter what she did, she could never become a real man.
No wonder he’d always reacted so strongly-almost repulsively-whenever they accidentally brushed against each other. He had never been attracted to women. From beginning to end, he only ever liked men.
A dull ache bloomed in Lily’s chest.
She knew that if she told him the truth-that she was a woman-he’d probably never speak to her again.
But that was only if she could even convince him she was a woman in the first place.
She couldn’t exactly strip in front of him to prove it. She couldn’t let him know she was Lily. All she could do now was find some other way to draw a hard, permanent line between them. She had to stop this from spiraling even further out of control.
“James, I don’t think you’re dirty. I don’t think you’re shameless either.”
Lily paused for a moment, then went on. “Talking to you these past few weeks, and meeting you in person today… it’s all been really nice. You’re a great guy. You’ll definitely meet someone just as great-someone who truly loves you. You two will build a life together. But us… we’re not going to happen. I’ll admit I used like men, but from now on, I don’t want to anymore.”
When she saw that flash of pain in his eyes-sharp, brittle pain-it felt like her heart was being split open.
But the whole point of meeting him today was to let him see her ugly face, to make him back off for good. The way she had given in to temptation, the way she had acted so intimately toward him… that was already a huge mistake. She couldn’t make another one. She couldn’t ruin his future.
She had to make a clean break. Sever it now-fast and deep.
Forcing down the searing ache in her chest, she made her voice as calm and distant as she could. “My grandfather’s really sick. His final wish is to see me get married and have children. I don’t want him to pass with regrets. I’m getting married after the new year, James. We shouldn’t see each other again.”
“Leila, what are you saying?”
His pupils shrank, sharp and stunned, as if the words had carved him open.
James had always known Leila might not be able to accept him so easily.
He was willing to try. Willing to wait. Willing to prove himself,
But he never expected to hear her say she was getting married.
Lily could see the anguish in his eyes. Her guilt and heartache swelled, but she reminded herself: long pain was better than short pain. If she couldn’t make him give up completely, she’d be stringing him along.
She’d be betraying him.
That would be far worse.
She subtly shifted away from him, forcing herself to keep lying. “Once I realized you might have feelings for me, I knew I couldn’t drag this out anymore. I came here today to be honest with you. To put an end to this. The girl my family introduced me to is wonderful. I can’t be two-timing her. I want to settle down and start a family with her. I want to give my grandfather peace of mind.”
“James… let’s go our separate ways.”
She wanted to marry the girl her family arranged for her.
She wanted to have kids with her.
James clutched at his chest like he’d been stabbed, Slowly, painfully, he bent forward.
So this was what it felt like to have your heart ripped out.
His eyes burned red, the pain swallowing him whole, like some invisible hand had dragged him into a pit of hopelessness.
Then, all at once, he looked up-deep eyes locking on her face.
A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind in that moment.
He wanted to grab her, pin her beneath him, kiss her like a madman.
He wanted to make her his, body and soul. Wanted to erase everyone else from her heart and eyes Wanted to bind her to his side, forever.
But he cared too much. And the more he cared, the more afraid he became.
Even now, with his heart in tatters, he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her.
“Leila,” he finally said, voice low, almost begging, “don’t marry her.”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.