You Left, I Could Have Fixed Us

Maya's POV

 "I saw the way you looked at her. And then I fucked her, Maya. You are no better than me." The words landed inside me like fire. My hands shook, the cup of tea rattling against my fingers. My heart thumped hard, an ache I could not ignore. "You... what?" I whispered, my voice trembling. Alvarez leaned against the doorframe, that dangerous smirk lighting his face. His eyes caught mine, and I felt heat rush to my skin. Desire, anger, and something raw lingered there, making my stomach tighten. Even now, after everything, I wanted him. I hated myself for it. "You think I would lie to you?" His voice was low, rough, and almost intoxicating. "No, Maya. I wanted you to hear it from me." My chest tightened. My hands curled into fists. "Why... why would you do that?" He stepped closer, close enough that I could smell him. The air between us crackled. "Because every time you pulled away, every time you looked at me like I had failed you, I felt worthless. You made me feel like I was not enough. Like I did not matter." Tears pricked my eyes, but another heat stirred deep in me that made me want to reach for him instead of pushing him away. "So... you went to her?" "Because at least she wanted me," he said, jaw tight. "At least she did not make me feel disposable." I laughed, bitter and broken. "So that is it? Pride?" His smirk wavered. His voice cracked ever so slightly. "You gave up on me first, Maya. You stopped fighting. You think I did not notice?" I set the mug down, trembling. "I fought for us every day. I put up with your moods, your anger, your drinking. I defended you when Leah and Zara begged me to leave. I believed in you when nobody else did." He stared at me, chest rising and falling, and for a second I saw him as he once was-the boy who kissed my freckles, the boy who promised me forever. My body remembered him, aching with longing and confusion. "And it still was not enough, was it?" His voice cracked, rough and desperate, and I felt a part of me weaken. The silence was suffocating. He was not just trying to hurt me. He was drowning, dragging me with him. "I could have fixed us," I whispered, tears sliding down my face. Even as I said it, I remembered how my body still wanted him, the way my chest tightened just being near him. He turned to the door. "No one can fix us." The slam rattled the room, but I did not move. I wanted to, but my body felt frozen. I sank onto the bed, clutching a pillow. His scent lingered in the blanket we shared, a reminder of everything I still wanted. My phone buzzed. Messages from Leah and Zara lit the screen. Leah: Leave him, Maya. He is poison. Zara: Pick