Chapter 26

　　Cherry 　　I snuck out the front door almost as soon as I returned downstairs. Only a quick goodbye to Heather and Chris detained me. Bert seemed to realize my need to get out of there and, thankfully, followed me out. 　　When we climbed into his truck, he was mercifully quiet, too, not taxing me with talk. Just as well, given that my head was so full of Dylan’s words, I doubted I’d be able to form one coherent sentence. I kept seeing his furrowed brow as he confessed to me that he wasn’t happy. 　　My breath had hitched in my chest to witness the familiar tension thrumming through his body at being cornered. My heart ached for him as he told me he’d agreed to this match with Lucy only out of a sense of duty. Part of me was infuriated at his disclosure, too because I had thought that by walking away and freeing him from a mate he hadn’t chosen, he’d have found happiness. 　　Confusion whipped through me. But he hadn’t. He seemed even more at war with himself than when we had been together.