"With him."
“He's good to her." He follows my gaze. "Good for her. Gives her stability and support and all the things she needs."
All the things I couldn't give her before.
“But he still isn’t you.”
There’s a brief moment of silence that passes between us.
“Listen, I still have them," Ollie says quietly. "The letters, all of them. I couldn't bring myself to throw them away. And after seeing the two of you talk, I think she deserves to know.” He pauses, taking in a breath filled with guilt. “Deserves to know that you didn't just disappear. That you wrote to her. That you?—"
"No."
The word comes out sharp.
Ollie stares at me.
"Nate—"
"You're right. She's happy. She's built a life. She's with someone who can give her what she needs. Why would I destroy that?"
"Because she still deserves the truth."
"The truth will just make her question everything. It’ll make her look at you differently. It’ll?—“
I stop, force myself to breathe.
"She's finally okay, Ollie. I'm not going to be the reason she falls apart again."
"What about you?" His voice is soft now.
I look at him and the guilt written across his face. At the brother who made a terrible choice thinking he was protecting someone he loved.
"Burn them."
"What?"
"I mean it. Get rid of them. Burn them. Whatever. She can never know."
"You can't be serious."
"I've never been more serious about anything in my life." I turn to face him fully. "You want to fix this? You want to make it right? Then you keep this secret. You let her be happy. You let her have the life she's built. And you never, ever tell her about those letters."
"She's going to keep asking why you never reached out. What are you going to tell her?"
"I'll think of something."
I findher twenty minutes later, standing alone by the edge of the lake, Liam nowhere in sight. The sun has set completely now and it’s just string lights that reflect off the water.
She doesn't turn when I approach, but I know she hears me.
"You deserve an explanation."
"Do I?" She turns now, and her eyes are bright with unshed tears. "Because from where I'm standing, you made your feelings pretty clear two years ago when you decided I wasn't worth even a phone call.”
This is it. The moment where I could tell her everything. Where I could explain about the letters, about Ollie, about the truth. But I look at her and see someone who's finally found solid ground after years of drowning.
And I know what I have to do.
