Page 39 of Secrets on Ice

“But we did,” Kevin argues, tears gathering in his eyes. “I still do.”

“But you love him too?” I look over at Trevor.

Kevin hesitates, but he must read my face and see that I’m not messing around. “Yes.”

The word hits harder than I expect. Kevin loves Trevor. Always has and probably always will. I stagger back a step, and Cassidy reaches for me.

“You could have told us,” she says, her voice breaking. “You could have trusted us with your secret all those years ago.”

Trevor shakes his head. “We couldn’t.”

“Why?” Cassidy demands. “Because we would have broken up with you?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

“We grew up here,” Kevin says quietly. “Everyone knows everyone. Our families had expectations, you know how religious they are. We didn’t know anyone like us. We thought our feelings were wrong.”

“So, you used us to look normal,” I say.

“No.” Kevin moves toward me.

I throw my hand up. “Do not come near me.”

He stops immediately. “We didn’t use you,” he says quietly.

“Yes, you did. You married us. You lied to us. You pretended to be someone you weren’t. You cheated on us constantly with each other,” I scream at them.

“Our marriage was wonderful,” Kevin says.

“Until it wasn’t,” I bite back.

“You two are selfish bastards. You could have let us go all those years ago. Let us find someone that truly loved us for us, not for a façade,” Cassidy tells them, and I see that is the arrow that hits them right in the chest. “All those years we wasted on the two of you.”

“You think our marriage was a waste?” Trevor asks her.

“Yes,” she tells him point blank. “It’s great that the two of you found love with each other, but it fucking sucks for us. You took our best years from us. I will never forgive you for taking away what could have been. For forcing me into a life that wasn’t mine.”

“Cass, don’t say that,” Trevor argues.

“Don’t you dare tell me how I’m supposed to feel. You got everything you wanted.”

The two of them look at us, and I honestly think for the first time the magnitude of what they have done hits them. They think it was all about them not being able to be who they want to be, but they never thought about us. They never thought that they took away from us alternative lives we could have been living, happily. No, they are two selfish assholes.

“What do you mean?” Trevor asks quietly.

“You got your man, didn’t you?”

Trevor frowns but doesn’t say anything.

“Our marriage was a lie,” she tells him.

Trevor wipes the tears from his face. “I thought if I married you and built a life with you, my feelings for Kevin would go away.”

Cassidy stares at him. “So, you thought I was going to be your cure?”

“Yes. No. It’s hard to explain.”