~ Lucian’s POV

But desperate was exactly what I was.

Without thinking, I hit the call button again. Each ring felt like a hammer to my heart. Still no answer. When it went to voicemail, I sighed heavily, every breath a painful reminder of how stupid I had been. “Bella, it’s me again,” I croaked, my voice barely steady. “I miss you so much, Bella,”

My voice broke, and I cut off the message before I made a bigger fool of myself. What was I even doing? No amount of apologizing was going to fix this if she didn’t want to hear it. And right now, she probably didn’t.

I...