The rain had long since stopped, but the sky still carried the heaviness of everything that had fallen.
Elena sat on the edge of the hotel bed, her fingers curled tightly around the edge of the comforter as if it might hold her together. Her heart beat like a war drum in her chest—slow, heavy, deliberate. She had cried every tear her body could offer. Now, there was nothing left but a vacuum of silence and exhaustion.
The betrayal had come without warning, sharp and absolute. Just when she had started to believe again—really believe—that maybe Jace had changed, maybe he was telling the truth this time, maybe they had a chance to start over… he proved her wrong.
Again.
She replayed the moment in her head: the hotel lobby, the hushed voices, the way Jace had stepped back when she approached him—like he'd been caught. Because he had been. The woman—her name was Lila, apparently—wasn't just a coworker or a friend. No. The way she touched him, the way he didn't pull away fast enough, told Elena everything she needed to know.
"I didn't mean for it to happen," Jace had stammered when she confronted him, his voice brittle and frantic. "It wasn't what it looked like, Elena. I swear to God—"
"No," she'd cut him off, voice as cold as the steel barricade she was now rebuilding around her heart. "Don't swear anything to me. You've run out of promises to break."
And she walked away.
Now, in this sterile, quiet hotel room, she was realizing how deep that wound went. How far her trust had stretched, only to be torn apart again. She had loved him—fiercely, stupidly, completely. She'd fought for them, time and time again. And what had it gotten her?
Another night alone. Another lie. Another version of "I didn't mean to."
A soft knock interrupted her spiral.
She didn't move.
Another knock—this time more insistent.
"Elena," came a voice from the other side. Jace. Of course. "Please let me in."
She stared at the door as if it were a weapon. She said nothing.
"I know you don't want to hear from me, but you need to. Please."
Silence stretched between them.
He tried the doorknob. Locked.
Elena rose slowly, moved to the door, and rested her forehead against it.
"You don't get to do this," she said quietly. "Not anymore."
"I made a mistake," he said, his voice raw. "A stupid, selfish mistake, but it wasn't what you think. I never slept with her. I never wanted her. It was… complicated, and I handled it badly."
"That's your explanation?" Her voice sharpened. "You think that makes it better?"
"No, I don't," he admitted. "I just—I'm trying to be honest now."
She laughed bitterly. "Now? Now you want to be honest? After you've lied to me over and over? After you promised me—after everything—you're suddenly in a confessional mood?"
There was a pause. "I didn't come here to beg," he said. "I just… I needed you to hear the truth."
"I did. Back there. In the lobby." She stepped away from the door, walking to the window, arms wrapped around herself. "You chose her in front of me. You let her touch you like she belonged to you."
"She doesn't. She never did."
"Then why didn't you stop her?"
He was quiet.
Exactly.
Elena wiped her eyes again even though they were already dry. Just muscle memory now. "You hurt me, Jace. You didn't just lie—you made me feel like a fool. Again."
"I know."
"I believed in you. That's on me. I thought—God—I thought this time would be different."
Jace's voice cracked. "It could still be. I'll do anything—whatever you need. I'll fight for you, Elena. Just tell me how."
She shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. "You should've fought for me when it mattered. Not now, when the damage is already done."
There was a long silence. For a moment, she thought he'd walked away. But then:
"I'm not giving up. I know you don't believe in me anymore, and I don't blame you. But I'm not leaving this city without making this right. Even if you hate me. Even if you never take me back. I need to fix this. For me."
Elena closed her eyes. Her chest ached—not just from heartbreak but from the part of her that still wanted to believe him. That still ached for the man she once knew. Or thought she knew.
But belief without proof was just a recipe for another broken heart.
---
Later that night, after hours of pacing and pacing and pacing some more, she opened her phone.
There were no new messages from Jace.
Good.
Or maybe that made it worse.
She scrolled through their old photos. God, she was pathetic. But there was something addictive about revisiting the lie before it was shattered. Their smiles. His arms around her. The day at the lake. That road trip to North Carolina where they sang old songs with the windows down and talked about forever like it was already theirs.
She threw the phone on the bed.
Then picked it up again.
Then finally dialed someone else.
"Kara?" she said when the line connected.
"Elena? Jesus, it's past midnight. Are you okay?"
"No," she whispered. "I'm not."
"I'm on my way."
By the time Kara arrived, Elena was already on the floor, knees to her chest, staring into nothing.
Kara didn't ask questions. She just sat down next to her, pulled her into her arms, and let her fall apart.
It wasn't until the sun started to rise that Elena finally spoke again.
"I don't know who I am anymore," she said hoarsely. "Without him."
"Yes, you do," Kara said. "You've just forgotten."
Elena sniffed. "I don't think I can forgive him this time."
"Then don't."
"But I still love him."
Kara sighed. "You can love someone and still choose yourself."
That stayed with Elena long after Kara had gone back to her own hotel room. As dawn broke over the city, Elena sat by the window and tried to find the girl she used to be. Before all the heartbreak. Before Jace.
She didn't know what would come next. She didn't know if she had the strength to keep fighting for a man who had already proved what she meant to him.
But maybe—just maybe—she could start fighting for herself instead.