Chapter 23

A slight pang of sadness hit Holly. He was making it very hard for her to get rid of all her feelings for him completely.

Every time she made up her mind to leave, he would pull her in just a bit closer. And every time her heart softened for him, he would sink a knife deep into it. Being so emotionally entangled with someone was torture.

Holly drew her hand back and said coldly, "You should leave. Don't bother coming over again tonight. I grew up here, and everything was fine without you then."

"Makes sense." Bryce gave her other hand a light squeeze. "You just look fragile and weak. But you're actually a really strong woman. You're even more hard-hearted than I am."

Holly pressed her lips together and thought, "You're the hard-hearted one. Why do you have to bring me into it? How mean."

Bryce stood up and said, "I'm really leaving now. Aren't you going to see me out?"

She turned and looked away from him with a complex feeling in her heart. She wanted him to leave. But at the sam