AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Again, I was careful with my words.
“At the time, I didn’t know where he was.” I press my lips together.
My response only pisses him off further. “Bullshit, Chloe!”
“I never lied to you.” I fight to keep my voice strong.
“You selectively left out details.”
“I still didn’t lie.”
He glares. “You’ve had years to tell me.”
Anger surfaces, and I push through the incoming tears. “There was never a reason to tell you! I hated you!”
He lifts his chin. “So, when you were in my bed, you hated me. While I was going tomy brother’sfootball games, you hated me. When you told me you had feelings for me, it was all a lie, and you hated me?”
I press my finger into my chest. “You came to me, Kyle! I didn’t come knocking on your door, asking you to hang out.” I swallow hard, and tears are streaming down my face. “I did hate you. I never pursued you in the beginning.”
“And perusing you was a big fucking mistake!”
I jump when he throws his glass across the room, and it hits a picture of his family, shattering it.
“One big fucking mistake!” He points to the door. “Leave, Chloe. I don’t want you here, and I don’t trust you.”
I wipe away tears, forcing myself to not give up yet, to not give up on us. “Can you please hear me out?”
“Like you heard me out years ago?” He deepens his tone. “Please, Chloe, it took you years to finallyhear me out.You had all this time to say something, anything, and you said nothing.” A cold laugh rumbles from his throat. “And here I thought, I was falling in love with you.” He holds up a finger. “I thoughtwewere falling for each other. I’ll never trust you again. Mark my fucking words. My father confessed everything to my mother. You and your sister blackmailed him for years, accepting over a hundred thousand dollars, and it didn’t stop when we began dating. That’s where you crossed the goddamn line. Now, get the fuck out of my house.”
“Please,” I beg. Salty tears hit my lips, and my chin quivers. I’ve never been so terrified of losing someone in my life. I inhale a pained breath. “I’m sorry, I really am, but I was protecting my family.”
“And that’s what I’m doing.” He glares at me. “My guilt for what happened in high school is gone. Looks like you got your revenge. Con-fucking-gratulations. Now, you can fuck off.”
21
Chloe
I never thought I’d miss Kyle telling me good morning.
It’s been two days since we talked. After our four a.m. conversation, I left with tears in my eyes. He was drunk, and there was nothing else I could say to change his mind. I stayed positive, hoping he’d calm down and we’d talk the next day, but nothing.
Claudia is furious, and I’m sure Roger got an ass-kicking when they got back to the trailer. You don’t mess with Claudia’s money. She told me she’d been blowing up Michael’s phone but hadn’t heard back from him. I’m surprised he hasn’t paid her a visit about her boyfriend spilling the beans. Michael made it clear from day one that, if a word was muttered, his checkbook was closed.
His silence means the Bank of Michael is out of business.
I ignore the looks and whispers when I walk into my office building, but there’s no ignoring Melanie. As soon as she sees me, she demands I tell her everything. I do. At least someone will hear me out.
* * *
I answerthe phone when I see Trey’s name flashing across the screen.
“Hey, buddy!”
“I hate you!” he screams on the other end.
“Whoa,” I say. “What is going on?”
“How could you know and not tell me?” Hurt is clear in his voice.
