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“When you find out you’re wrong about me, Tanner... when you realize that I loved you more than anything, that I would have followed you around the world and never ever left you, I hope you remember today. You have taken every fear and every worry I’ve ever had and thrown them in my face. You’ve made them all bigger and more painful. You have hurt me more than I’ve ever been hurt before and I will never, ever forgive you for that. I hope you rot in hell.”
I turned and stormed back to my room, slamming the door, hearing the explosion of an argument that broke out in my absence.
I believed people said things when they’re hurting that you could forgive them for. But when someone used all the words you feared most in the world against you, then they never loved you and you don’t have to forgive them. Ever.
He called me a slut. He pulled open my robe in front of everyone. He suspected the worst of me when all I was doing was spending time with people I thought of like my brothers.
Fuck him. I was done. The minute he called me a slut, I was done.
Someone knocked on my door. “Em, it’s Addi. Can I come in?”
“It’s open,” I sighed out, not wanting to see anyone.
She walked in and gasped when she found me packing my cases.
“What are you doing, Em?”
“Going home. I have enough to write the book. I can do the rest from there. The things he said today, Addi. It’s too much. What the hell is wrong with him?” I slumped to the edge of the bed, tears racking my body.
“I don’t know, but if you leave, he’ll drink. If he drinks, we’re all done. You know that.”
And there lies the problem.“I do, but it’s not my job to keep him sober. Levi has been saying that from the start. He’s not doing it for the right reasons. If he breaks, that’s on him, not me.”
“Don’t go, Em. We love having you here,” Addi begged, her hand grabbing mine.
“And I’ve loved being here, but if talking to the other band members makes me a slut, what’s he going to get like when I talk to the waiter or a taxi driver or a fan? It’s too much, Addi. He’s too much. He’s out of control and I can’t help him. We can video chat, and meet up when you’re home. We can be friends without Tanner being involved, but I can’t be around him. I don’t feel safe, and I won’t put myself in that position again.” I suddenly felt stronger now that I’d put some physical space between us.
“I can’t lose you, Ems. You heal us all with your magic. I hoped you’d marry the idiot and we could keep you forever, but you’re right, you can’t stay here if you don’t feel safe. Stay tonight. For me. Then I’ll sort you a first-class transfer out of here tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll stay for you, but keep that psycho away from me tonight, please.”
I heard a light knock on my door. I finished platting my hair and pulled it over my shoulder. If I was leaving, then I was going out in a blaze of glory, so he could see what he was losing. I opened the door to my suite and Gray gasped. “Shit, Em, you look stunning. Honestly, I’m a bit speechless.” I looked down at my outfit and I smiled. I was wearing a teal jumpsuit, stupidly high black heels, leather bands binding my wrists, and a black skull ring sat on my middle finger. I wanted to feel like a rock star, just for one last night, before I went back to my normal, boring life tomorrow.
“Em, I know things have gone to shit, and part of that is because of me. Let me explain to Tanner why we were talking. He might go a bit easier on you.”
I shook my head angrily. “You’ll do no such thing, Gray. I will not have you make excuses to appease his paranoia. He will think what he wants, and he has to live with that when he realizes he got it all wrong. Leave it until it all dawns on him. Because it will and by then it will be too late. In fact, it’s already too late.”
“But you were so good together.”
Sadness flooded me because we were good together, until we weren’t. “I thought so too, but what he said to me, the names he called me, the things he accused me of. If he’d looked into my head and saw a list of things to say to me that would break my heart, he ticked off at least the top ten. I’m not putting up with that, Gray. I’m worth so much more than being accused of being a slut because I played around in the ocean or let someone brush my hair from my face. I thought of you all as family. I don’t get why he doesn’t see that.”
Gray nodded, accepting my decision. “Promise you’ll stay in touch with the rest of us. I don’t want to think about a world where you’re not a part of our lives.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, breathing in his calm energy. “I promise, Gray. We’re friends for life. Now, aren’t there some people you want to introduce me to?”
Chapter 27
Tanner
Ilistened,hiddeninthe shadows, and heard a stranger thank Emmy for helpingthemreconnect with Gray and that the three of them needed to find a way to make it work.
What the hell?Fear wrapped its icy hand around my throat and whispered in my ear that I got it all so wrong. The texts from Mum had become more frequent over the last few weeks, and her threats got worse, but I didn’t tell a soul. Then I saw Emmy with Gray together and I thought the worst. I mean, she was too good for me. It would all fall apart eventually, wouldn’t it?
Then when I saw the pictures of her in the sea with Mav, I flipped. I screamed at her. I called her the worst names, and I pulled open her robe in front of a room full of people. I knew what that would do to her, but I did it anyway. I was unraveling, and I didn’t know how to stop.
“Rylee, can you see if Levi is free to chat, please? Tell him it’s an emergency.”
“Give me a minute and I’ll see what I can do.”
