Page 164 of Where Roads Lead

“Wrong.”

“What?”

“We’re wrong for each other,” I said out loud for the first time. “I’m wrong for him.”

“No, Aves, you’re not,” he said adamantly, trying to repair what he thought he broke. “You’re just scared. Matthew? He loves you so much—”

“But I don’t—” I couldn’t say I didn’t love Matthew. I loved him with all my heart. I couldn’t imagine a single day of my life without him.

But it just wasn’t the same burning I felt when I looked at Will.

And I was so afraid of the future, the unknowns, the unpredictability of life, but something about Will made me want to walk headfirst into the fire.

“You don’t what, Aves?” Will urged.

Did he know? Was he waiting all this time for me to admit it? Had he only stood aside for Matthew’s sake?

“Aves, just tell me what’s going on—”

“I love you,” I blurted in one breath. “I have always, always loved you. I can’t—I can’t imagine my life without you.”

His body went rigid, face wiped clean of any trace of emotion. Like a statue, he became farther away than he’d ever been before.

“You love me like a brother,” Will said, still as stone.

“No, Will. I’m in love with you.”

“You’re marrying my brother.”

“I can’t,” I said helplessly.

“You are.” His mouth was a straight line, set and determined, unwavering as always.

“I can’t go out there and vow before everyone to love him forever. I can’t do that to him.”

“Do that to him?” Will clasped both hands atop his head as he paced. “Aves, what you’re trying to do would kill him. Do you understand that? It would kill him.”

Will was more rattled than I’d ever seen him. He was scared, like I was. Some part of me was relieved to see him finally looking so rawly human.

“It would hurt,” I agreed. “But not as much as it would for him to waste his life on the wrong person.”

I reached out to touch his arm. “He’d forgive us, Will.”

He pulled away sharply before I even reached him, and I recoiled.

“Us?” Will scowled. “What the hell do you mean, us? I’m not the one breaking his heart here, Ava. That’s all you.”

“But.” I felt my lip tremble, understanding sinking in. “But don’t you love me?”

I’d read it wrong. I’d read it all wrong.

I thought the choice had been mine. Thought Will had stayed away out of respect. I thought that if he knew the truth about how I felt, everything might be different.

But I was wrong.

“Ava, it’s never been like that between us, and you know it.”

I didn’t.