Chapter 27

Gavin’s POV

“This has got to be the dumbest idea you’ve ever had,” Roman said as they stood in front of the large high school that Gavin and Erin had once attended.

“I want her to see how much I truly loved her. She needs to know the truth,” Gavin replied unapologetically.

Erin was in awe of the scenery change; she certainly wasn’t expecting something like this. She stared at the school with large eyes before turning to face Gavin.

“How are we here?” She asked, narrowing her beautiful eyes at him.

The bell sounded and students from all over appeared out of nowhere, running through the green field and toward the building. Erin gasped and took a step closer to him.

“They can’t see us,” Gavin assured her.

She peered up at him.

“They can’t?” She asked.

Before he got the chance to answer, her eyes fell upon somebody who was walking in their direction. Gavin turned and saw two girls walking past them. One was a plump female with fiery red hair and brightly colored clothing and the other was a slimmer girl with a great figure and long hair that went toward her lower waist.

“Jessie…” Erin whispered, staring in their direction as their figures grew smaller until they disappeared into the school. She looked back up at Gavin with tears forming in her eyes. “How is that possible?”

“We are in the past,” he explained. “Kind of.”

“Kind of?”

“Only our minds are here, so nobody can see us. Our bodies are physically still in the hotel room,” he explained, keeping his eyes locked on hers. “We are both still safe. I’m keeping an eye on things there.”

She allowed that to process for a moment longer before shaking her head in disbelief.

“Why did you bring me here?” She asked, peering up at him. “How did you bring me here?”

“Because I needed you to see the kind of pain you brought me,” he explained.

Her brows knitted together as she continued to stare at him.

“I wish to go home,” she demanded. “I shouldn’t have come to see you. It was a mistake.”

“I needed to speak with you,” he reminded her. He reached his hand out to her. “Today was the day that you told me you no longer wished to be with me. Today was the day you broke my heart entirely. I needed you to see what you did to me that day.”

“Gavin—”

“You say you love Henry, but I don’t believe that for a moment,” Gavin said, cutting off her words. “I think you still love me, or you wouldn’t be here right now.”

When she didn’t respond, Gavin knew he was right.

“Has it always only been about money? Is that why you chose to be with Henry? For his money? If that were the case, then why not officially marry him?”

Her eyes broke from his and landed on the ground. She didn’t have an answer for him; that much was obvious.

“I would like to show you something,” he said to her, keeping his hand outstretched toward her.

She stared at it for a moment longer before taking it.

Soon, they were in a new location.

Young Gavin sat on the bleachers with one of his best friends, Tyler.

It was their favorite place to hang out beside the hockey rink. As they reached closer, something became clear in young Gavin’s hands.

It was a small black box; Erin seemed to have noticed it too because she was stepping closer with her curious eyes fixated.

“Never thought I’d see the day when Gavin Pierce gets engaged,” Tyler laughed shaking his head.

Erin’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands.

“I’m not engaged yet,” young Gavin laughed, opening the black box to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring. “She still has to say yes.”

“How did you even afford that ring?” Tyler asked, raising his brows.

“I took on a second job and sold some stuff. Took a while, but I finally got the ring she deserves.”

Recognition flashed through Erin’s eyes as she took in the ring before she glanced back at Gavin who stood in a distance, watching the scene play out before his eyes. It was a painful memory to relieve, but this was something he needed Erin to see.

“This is the same ring Susanna had on,” she said, keeping her eyes on his.

His body tensed as he thought about Susanna taking this ring from his nightstand and putting it on her finger, announcing their engagement to the world. The thought infuriated him. He didn’t sell things that meant the world to him, and take on a second job during his poor years to afford this ring, just for another she-wolf that meant little to him to put it on her clammy fingers.

“It’s the ring she stole,” he muttered, trying to dismiss the thought from his mind. “It was meant for you…”

“I had no idea…” she breathed, tears filling her eyes.

“We were only a couple of days away from graduation. I was planning on proposing…” he explained, glancing back at young Gavin who was thoughtfully looking at the ring. He held it up to the sunlight, allowing the rays to make the ring sparkle all that much more.

Soon, they heard some talking from around the corner.

Gavin’s heart fell into his stomach because he knew what was about to happen. He knew exactly who was around the corner. Telling from the look on Erin’s face, she knew it too.

This was hard to forget.

Young Erin and her best friend, Jessie, walked around the bleachers. Erin’s had a mournful look in her eyes and Jessie looked worried. She was trying to talk to Erin and convince her to change her mind, but her mind was already made up.

Young Gavin quickly put the ring back into his pocket before young Erin had seen it, and stood to his feet to greet the woman he loved.

“Hey, Gavin,” she said, peering up at him. “Can we talk for a minute?”

Young Gavin frowned as he searched her face; he knew now that something was wrong.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, still staring around her sunken face.

Tyler stared at the two questionably before looking at Jessie who gave him a mournful look. She sat beside him and started to tell him what was going on.

Young Erin took young Gavin to a more secluded area where they could talk in private.

“What’s going on?” He finally asked when they were alone.

“Gavin… high school is ending, and we have to start thinking about our futures—”

“I completely agree with you,” young Gavin interrupted. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my future and—”

“Let me finish,” she said, staring up at him with a firm look on her face. He fell silent and allowed her to continue. “Our relationship has been fun, but we have to be serious now. I come from an incredibly wealthy family and you well… Gavin, you come from a very poor one. Let’s be honest, you can’t provide for me in the way a man should.”

“That’s not true—”

“I need someone who meets my needs not only emotionally, but financially as well. I need someone who is in the same class as me and can make my family proud. You aren’t that person.”

“Wait,” young Gavin said through his teeth. “What are you saying? That I’m not good enough for you?”

“I’m saying that I don’t see a future with you,” she said, peering up at him. There were tears forming in her eyes despite how cold her tone remained. “I’m saying, I want us to break up and I don’t ever want to see you again.”