CHAPTER 13
You Never Gave Me the Choice
Dual — POV
The silence in the flower shop felt wrong now.
Not peaceful.
Not soft.
Just heavy — like the air itself was holding its breath and refusing to let go.
Kathy stood near the counter, one hand still slightly trembling from what she had just seen. The TV behind her had gone back to a normal program, but it didn't matter anymore. The image was already burned in her mind.
Brad Hawkins.
Billionaire.
CEO.
The man who built systems that shaped the world.
And the man who had been standing in her shop, buying flowers like he was just... normal.
Kathy looked at him again.
Really looked at him.
And it didn't match.
Not anymore.
"You let me believe something else," she said quietly.
Brad didn't move right away.
His face was controlled, but not calm.
There was something behind it now. Something tighter.
"I didn't correct it," he said carefully.
Kathy gave a small, bitter laugh.
"That's the same thing," she replied.
Silence stretched again.
Brad took a slow step closer.
"Kathy —"
"Don't," she cut in immediately.
That stopped him.
Her voice wasn't loud.
But it was firm.
And sharp enough to make him pause.
Kathy shook her head slightly, trying to steady herself.
"You don't get to say my name like that right now."
Brad exhaled slowly.
"I never lied about who I am when it mattered," he said.
That line landed wrong.
Very wrong.
Kathy looked at him like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"When it mattered?" she repeated.
Her voice rose slightly now.
"You were in my shop every other day."
Brad didn't answer immediately.
"I didn't think it mattered then," he admitted.
That made her stop for a second.
Then it hit harder.
"So I didn't matter," she said.
"No," he said quickly. "That's not what I meant."
But she was already shaking her head.
"That's exactly what it sounds like."
Another pause.
The space between them felt like it was getting wider instead of smaller.
Kathy stepped back slightly.
"You know what's worse?" she said.
Brad stayed still.
"I trusted you," she continued.
Her voice cracked a little now, but she didn't stop.
"I told you things. Real things. My life. My struggles. I thought you were just... a guy."
She let out a breath that didn't fully come out right.
"And you just... watched me do that."
Brad's expression changed at that.
Something like guilt finally breaking through the control.
"I didn't use you," he said.
Kathy laughed again, but there was no humor left in it.
"You didn't stop it either."
That silence again.
He didn't deny it.
And that silence said more than any answer could.
Kathy's hands curled slightly at her sides.
"You never gave me the choice," she said quietly.
Brad frowned. "Choice?"
"Yes," she said, firmer now.
"You chose what I knew about you. You chose what I didn't know. You decided what kind of relationship this was without telling me the truth."
Her eyes burned slightly now, but she kept going.
"That's not normal. That's not fair. That's control."
Brad's jaw tightened.
"I was trying to keep things simple," he said.
Kathy shook her head immediately.
"No," she replied.
"You were trying to keep things safe for you. You hid in that Gorge house. You hid behind 'just Brad.' You hid your whole life in Portland like it didn't exist."
That hit him harder than anything else she had said.
For the first time, he didn't respond instantly.
Kathy stepped forward again, voice quieter now — but more broken.
"Do you know what it feels like?" she asked.
Brad didn't answer.
"I was falling for you," she said.
A pause.
"I didn't even realize how much... until today."
Her voice softened, but it hurt more.
"And none of it was real on your side. Not fully. Because you weren't honest with me."
Brad's face tightened.
"That's not true," he said.
But it sounded less certain now.
Kathy shook her head.
"You don't get to decide what part of this was real for me."
Silence.
Longer this time.
He looked at her like he was searching for the right thing to say.
But nothing came fast enough.
And that was the problem.
Everything had been fast for him before.
Decisions.
Systems.
Businesses.
But not this.
Not her.
Kathy took another step back.
"I can't do this," she said quietly.
Brad's eyes lifted sharply.
"Kathy —"
"No," she said again.
Stronger this time.
Her voice shook, but she didn't stop.
"You don't get to fix this with words right now."
A pause.
Then she added, softer:
"You never gave me the choice... so I'm giving myself one now."
Brad's expression changed immediately.
"No," he said quickly. "Don't do that."
But she was already turning away.
The bell above the door jingled as she walked past it.
For a second, Brad didn't move.
Didn't follow.
Didn't speak.
Then he said her name again.
"Kathy."
But she didn't stop.
And when the door closed behind her, the shop fell into a silence that felt completely different from before.
This time —
it wasn't quiet.
It was empty.