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Rogue kisses me and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling my back to his chest. He presses his lips to my hair. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you too.”
He shifts onto an elbow and leans over me. “Everything okay?”
“Not really.” I can feel how awful what I have to tell him is. It hurts to hold it in and more so to picture how he’ll react once the words are out there. I’ll be unable to take them back, but I should have told him long ago. I should never have kept it from him. Still, it feels like my world is about to end.
“If this is about last night—”
I force the words out. “It’s about Alec.”
“Alec?” Tension fills his frame. Vibrates off him. Confusion fills his voice. “Did he approach—”
“He’s my brother.” My throat is full of glue, but I push the words out as fast as I can. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. “Genetically speaking.”
Inside I’m shaking. The silence between us is like a chasm. I can’t get across it. Can’t find my way back to him.
This does not end well. But I knew that. It’s why I didn’t tell him in the first place. I convinced myself that T-Swift was right that Rogue could get hurt and that we could possibly get my brother to confess. But I was lying to myself. I wasn’t protecting Rogue, I was protecting me from his loss. As if I could keep him from hating me when he finally knew. “I didn’t tell you because I was scared.”
“Don’t.” He jumps up far quicker than he speaks. Grabs his clothes and marches out of the room. A door slams.
I collect my dress and the boxer briefs he gave me. I can’t locate my bra. Abandoning the attempt, I dress quickly. I already feel so exposed. Far worse than I ever have in public. Not even when I was on that stage with Adira did I feel so bared.
Rogue’s face is purple with rage as he storms back into the room. His blue eyes colder than an arctic blast. A sneer is frozen on his face. He crosses his arms. “You’re Alec Hawthorne’s sister?”
“Unfortunately.” I nod.
“Unfortunately?” He chews and spits the word like it’s made of nails. Grips his head between his hands like it will explode if he doesn’t. “Fucking hell, you’re that cunt’s sister? I didn’t even know he had a sister.”
“I try to stay out of his way.” I try to explain, try to reach out. I don’t want to lose him. If he can only understand… “I was scared of him. He did things… I told you…”
He steps back. “Don’t touch me.”
“Rogue, I’m sorry—” I am. So so sorry.
“You should have told me, Ivy.” He walks away from me. “You should have fucking told me from the beginning.”
“I know.” My eyes sting and blur. “I know I should have. I was so scared that you would hate me.”
His brow furrows. His hands drop to his side. “I pleaded with you… I begged you to open up to me. I knew you were hiding shit. I just never considered it could be this.”
“I wanted to tell you.” I reach out, and even though he’s across the room, he shrinks away. I curl my hand back to my chest. “I was going to. That night I got sick… I was ready to tell you. Please, Rogue, let me explain.”
“I loved you.” He shakes his head. “I fucking loved you.”
“You love me,” I remind him. “And I love you. I’m telling you this because I love you. The video from last night. Alec orchestrated it. That girl… he paid her. I can’t prove it. He’s too smart… he’ll never admit it, but I’m cert—”
“You’ve been talking to him,” he says slowly, a bitterness creeping into his voice that makes me cringe. “This whole time. You’ve been on the phone with him. How could I have been so stupid?”
“It’s not that simple,” I cry. Tears slip unchecked down my cheeks, but I don’t care if he sees them. He’s hurting, and I’m hurting too.
“You were spying on us.” His voice cracks.
“No.” I shake my head as I back away. “Not at first.”
“You spied on my mom.” His voice grows darker as he charges toward me. His fingers loop around my wrist and squeeze so tight I’ll have bruises. His face is mere inches from mine. I can feel the bitterness spewing from him. “You spied on me. Before we even met. Of course you’ve been helping him. Of course you have. It’s so obvious.”
“No,” I cry. “I’ve been helping you. Trying to gather evidence. I recorded—”
