It replays in my head like a sick reel. Brett’s hand on Jake’s face. Jake leaning into it like he’s home.
I should have seen it.
Ididsee it.
The way Brett looked at Jake this morning when he and River came through that front door.
The way Brettavoidedlooking at me.
I laugh sharply, bitterly.
My skin burns even though the air is breezy. I feel exposed, hollowed out, like the kiss was meant for me to find.
Maybe it was.
Maybe this is how I end—slow and silent and right when I thought I was starting to matter again.
I don’t go back to the pool.
I don’t go to my room.
I keep walking, past the outdoor bar, past the empty lounge chairs, until I reach the edge of the island—the gorgeous cliffs that drop straight into the sea. I stand there for a while, staring at the waves crashing below, white foam against black stone.
And I breathe.
In. Out.
I survived Leroy. I’ll survive this, too.
But I won’t forget it.
Not the kiss.
Not the heat in it.
Not the truth of it.
And later, when Brett comes looking for me—because he will—I’ll know exactly what to say.
Nothing.
Because if he wanted to explain, he should have done itbeforehe let Jake pull him in.
BeforeI saw what I saw.
Beforethe careless whisper.
EPISODE 223
YOU’RE IN MY HEART
Brett
A Few Moments Earlier…
“I don’t regret loving you,” I say. “But I have to know. If I’d said something back then, would it have made a difference?”
Jake doesn’t answer right away. He just stands there, the ocean wind catching strands of his hair.
