Chapter 247

Eleanor's POV

Jace stood there in silence. I had asked him not to speak, wanting to be the one to explain everything. The familiar scent of jasmine from my garden wafted through the half-open window, a cruel reminder of happier times.

"Drew, I'm sorry," I began, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to keep it steady. The words felt like shards of glass in my throat.

Drew turned to face me, his usually cheerful eyes now clouded with understanding as he noticed the tears threatening to spill from mine. The raw guilt in my expression must have told him everything before I could even continue.

"I've realized I still can't forget Jace," I forced myself to meet Drew's gaze, watching the pain bloom in his eyes. Each word felt like a betrayal, but I forced myself to continue. "Yesterday, when Jace drove me home, I... I couldn't control my feelings anymore. I asked him to come here today because I want to start over with him."

My tone remained deliberately cold, a stark contrast to the warm tears now freely streaming down my face. The afternoon sun caught them, turning each drop into a tiny prism of my shame.

"Hah..." Drew's laugh was hollow, a sound that pierced my heart more effectively than any accusation could have.

"Eleanor, am I really that inadequate?" His voice cracked, a sound I'd never heard from him before. "Am I truly so inferior to him? Tell me what I'm lacking, and I'll change. I'll become whoever you want me to be. Please, just tell me what I need to do."

I had never seen Drew like this. In my mind, he had always been the embodiment of confidence and humor, forever ready with a witty remark or a playful smirk. This broken man before me was a stranger wearing Drew's face, and knowing I was responsible for this transformation made everything worse.

Fighting against the growing knot in my chest, I continued, "Drew, no matter how much you change, you'll never be him. You've always known that I've loved him for years... so many years. I thought I could use you to forget him." I paused, swallowing hard. "I overestimated myself. Jace is someone I'll never be able to forget..."

"I don't mind," Drew stepped closer, his eyes filled with an intensity that made my heart ache. "You don't have to forget him. I don't need you to erase your past. I just want to be with you, to stand by your side forever, even after he chose to abandon you."

The setting sun cast an orange glow across his face, highlighting the desperation in his features. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold together the pieces that felt like they were breaking apart.

"I can't keep lying to myself," I stated firmly, though each word felt like acid on my tongue.

"Lying to yourself..." He let out a bitter laugh that seemed to echo off the walls. "So all this time we've been together, it was just self-deception? Every smile, every laugh, every moment of happiness - it was all just an act? When you said you loved me, was that a lie too?"

Tears began rolling down his cheeks, and I knew this pain ran deeper than when he had watched me gravitate toward Jace all those months ago. The setting sun painted his tears golden, a beautiful sight I wished I'd never had to witness.

"I'm sorry," I offered no explanation. Those two words carried the weight of every deception, every false hope I'd given him.

"Has he agreed to be with you?" Drew's question cut through the heavy silence.

I pressed my lips together, the truth stuck in my throat. How could I tell him that I knew Jace and I would never be together? That Jace would never agree to this arrangement? If I lied now and said yes, Drew would soon discover the truth. I couldn't expect Jace to maintain such a charade indefinitely.

I stood there, words failing me completely. In that moment, Jace answered Drew's question for me.

"Yes, we're together now," he said calmly.

I watched as Drew turned to face Jace, his eyes filled with a pain and anger I had never seen before. The warmth that usually characterized his gaze had vanished entirely, replaced by something raw and wounded.

"Jace Gillard," Drew's voice trembled with emotion, "I've always considered you my closest friend. I thought that no matter what happened, the four of us-you, me, Lucas, and Spencer-nothing could ever come between us. I was wrong... I never knew I could hate someone I once called brother this much."

"I'm sorry," was all Jace could manage. Even he seemed at a loss for what else to say in the face of such betrayal.

"We're no longer friends. As far as I'm concerned, Drew Yeager never knew a Jace Gillard."

Before I could react, Drew's fist connected with Jace's face with devastating force. The impact nearly knocked Jace off his feet, causing him to stumble backward. He made no move to defend himself or retaliate.

I instinctively moved to intervene but stopped myself mid-motion. I knew I had no right to step between them, not when I was the cause of this destruction.

"That punch," Drew declared, each word deliberate and heavy, "marks the end of twenty years of friendship!"

He turned to leave, his usually confident stride now unsteady. At the doorway, he paused, one hand gripping the frame as if it were the only thing keeping him upright.

"Jace," his voice softened slightly, though the pain remained evident, "don't make Eleanor suffer anymore. If you truly love her, then love her properly. Be the man she deserves."

Tears blurred my vision as I watched his silhouette in the doorway. A thought crossed my mind: if only things were different, if only I were still who I used to be... But wishes couldn't change reality. There was no way to give Drew and me a better ending.

The door slammed shut with such force that the sound reverberated through my chest, as if physically sealing away a