Exposing ELE (ELE Series #3) Read Free Page A

say that I have no idea what he's talking about, but the turmoil I've been feeling around Tony, and the memories of my feelings in that dream, can't be denied. I look back up at Alec, torn, not sure what to say.
    “Willow, I can't handle this. You obviously don't trust me enough to confide in me and...”
    I cut him off. “I do trust you!” A helpless feeling settles in as I feel something starting to slip away that I so desperately want to hold onto.
    “I honestly don't think you do, at least not completely. Look, you will always hold a special place in my heart, but I can’t keep competing for a battle that’s already won.”
    I furrow my brow at him. “What battle, Alec?” The frustration has my heart speeding up.
    “The battle for your heart, Willow.” The emotion in his eyes is like a kick to my gut.
    My stomach drops. “What?” I reach out to grab his hand and he yanks it away from me. The hurt from that simple action stings like a bee and my eyes instinctively tear up. “I don't know what you're talking about, Alec.”
    “I think you do, Willow, you just haven't admitted it to yourself yet. Tell me that everything I'm saying or thinking is wrong. Tell me that I must be insane and losing my mind. Tell me that, please,” he whispers as he looks away from me.
    “I...” I don't know what to say. What can I say that wouldn't be a lie? I have no idea what I feel. I open my mouth but no more words come out. How can I sit here and not declare that he is so far from the truth? Why can't I just say two simple words? You're wrong. Those two words can stop what's about to happen from happening. Nothing comes to my lips though, and I dread what’s coming next.
    “See, you can't even deny it. I can't do this.” His voice is choked with emotion.
    I close my eyes in that moment and swallow hard. I drop my head again, unable to look him in the eye. A tear slips down my cheek as I realize what’s about to come. “So, this is it?” I ask Alec. I look up at him and my emotions are threatening to burst like a dam that’s too full of water.
    Alec runs his fingers through his hair and then he looks into my eyes one last time before nodding in affirmation. He takes the three steps to the door, leaves, and closes it behind him without ever looking back.
    I don't have it in me to think about what just occurred, but it only takes a few moments before the dam breaks and my eyes flood with tears. They spill down my cheeks and onto the bed. I hold my head in my hands, rocking back and forth. I feel so unattached from the world, like what I’m living right now isn’t even real. I can’t distinguish truth from reality. All that I ever knew has been ripped from me… it’s as if this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
    I grab the pillow next to me and place it over my face. I sob into it loudly, hoping not to draw attention to myself, but also desperately trying to release these foreign emotions. I scream and sob into the pillow, desperate for some sort of relief.
    I hear the door click back open and I peek over the pillow to see Claire standing in the doorway. She wastes no time in coming to my side. “Alec said you might need me.” She wraps her arms around my middle and draws me close to her small frame. I cry on her shoulder as she strokes my hair. It reminds me of something my mother would do.
    “It hurts,” I tell her, as I clutch at my heart that feels as if it's breaking into a million sad little pieces.
    “I know. It will be okay, I promise.” She strokes my hair some more. “It will all be okay.”
    As my sobs turn into a softer cry, she places her hands on each of my arms and lifts me from her embrace. She wipes the tears from my cheeks and hands me a tissue. I gladly accept it and dab at my nose.
    “I know you may not believe me now,” Claire begins. “But this heartache you’re experiencing will soon be but a memory… one that won’t hurt near as bad as it currently does.”
    I’m tempted