Chapter 27: Decisive

As Beth sat at her desk on Monday morning, her heart pounded in her chest. She had spent the weekend wrestling with her feelings for Louis and Michael, and she had finally come to a decision. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't keep hurting Michael by leading him on. She had to break things off with him, even though it would break her heart to see him in pain. She had already texted him that they needed to talk, and she could tell from his response that he was worried. He knew that something serious was going on. When Michael arrived at her office, he looked even more anxious than usual. He leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek, but she subtly dodged it. "Good morning, Michael," she said. "How are you?" "What's up?" he asked. "You said you wanted to see me? Did I do anything wrong?" His voice was filled with genuine concern, and Beth's heart ached. She didn't want to hurt him, but she knew that she had to be honest with him. "Michael," she said, "I'm so sorry, but I d