Silence.
Heavy.
Immediate.
Hersh didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
Nothing.
I forced myself to keep talking before I lost the nerve.
“He lied about me being married.”
His jaw flexed once.
“Why?”
Tears burned behind my eyes instantly.
Because this part hurt almost as much as the letters themselves.
“He hated you.”
The words came out barely above a whisper.
Hersh looked down slowly at the mug in his hands.
Like maybe some part of him had always known that.
“My dad thought the McDougal boys were trouble,” I whispered. “He thought you’d ruin my life.”
A sad smile touched Hersh’s mouth briefly.
“Looks like he got his wish.”
Pain punched straight through my chest.
“No.”
The word came out instantly.
Strong enough that his eyes lifted back to mine.
“No,” I repeated softer this time. “You didn’truin my life.”
God.
The look on his face nearly destroyed me.
Because he still didn’t understand.
Still thought I ignored him.
Still thought I let him go.
My vision blurred completely now.
