He Thought I Loved Him, I Only Loved His Face Chapter 20

He Thought I Loved Him, I Only Loved His Face Chapter 20

The words hit Rowan like a fist around his heart. Tears slid down his face before he could stop them.

Everything she’d ever done for him. All of it. Because of Caleb.

Maya never loved him.

She loved his twin brother.

The things she collected. Caleb’s belongings.

The photo she treasured. Not him. Caleb.

The love he thought she had for him was nothing but his own delusion.

His heart dropped into an abyss. The dull, grinding pain made it impossible to think.

Rowan opened his mouth. No words came.

The silence stretched so long, Maya thought he’d hung up.

She spoke first.

“Maybe our marriage was a mistake from the start. You never loved me either. There’s no point dragging this out.”

Dragging this out.

That’s what she called it. All of it. Just dragging things out.

From the day Maya left, Rowan knew he would keep looking for her.

Because he loved her.

But that truth only became undeniable after he lost her.

He couldn’t get used to life without Maya. But he couldn’t let go of his entanglement with Piper either.

Caught between two women. He lost everything.

And now Maya was telling him she’d only ever loved his brother. He was nothing but a substitute.

Rowan couldn’t accept it.

He clung to the need for an answer. Anything to quiet his mind.

“What if I said I can change? Maya. You can treat me like Caleb. I don’t mind.”

“Just stay with me.”

His voice was almost begging.

Maya had never heard him sound like this.

Her face stayed blank.

She hung up. Blocked the new number.

Sometimes no answer is the answer.

She wanted nothing more to do with Rowan Cross. Ever.

Maya steadied her breathing.

She noticed another missed call.

She was about to ignore it. Then she saw the name. Dawson.

She opened his message. He wanted to discuss the latest design draft.

Maya replied yes. Explained she’d been on a call and missed his.

Dawson’s reply came fast. He’d pick her up at three. Was that convenient?

Maya said fine.

The Reed family had ongoing business with the company. No reason to offend him.

Besides, his professional instincts were sharp. She genuinely respected that.

She changed into comfortable clothes and organized her materials.

Dawson took her to a café. Beautiful. Quiet.

She raised an eyebrow. “I thought the whole project team was meeting, Mr. Reed.”

His lips curved slightly.

“They were all too busy to discuss the initial draft today. You were the only one I could book.”

She understood the subtext perfectly. She didn’t poke at it.

She took the menu.

“Since you’re treating, Mr. Reed, I won’t hold back.”

“Good. Eat more. Eat on their behalf too.”

His tone was easy. It smoothed the tension.