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"What would Ryan do to warrant something like this?” she asks, both incredulous and furious.
I can’t hold back the surge of boiling rage that seems to bubble up from deep within me. "I'm sure you believe you know him. You guys dated for how long? A year?" My hands are hot fists in my pockets. “Well, he’s far more than just your cheating ex.”
The tension in the room becomes suffocating, an oppressive weight that hangs in the air. Almost without conscious thought, I shift, then stop myself. Distance from this girl is what I need to maintain right now. Amber remains silent. Good, she needs to understand who she's so quick to defend.
"I've known Ryan since high school," I say, my voice quiet. Hard. "That's eight years longer than you, Amber. Eight years of Ryan and his twisted lies, his countless betrayals."
Amber's tears spill over, tracing a path down her smooth cheeks, but her gaze doesn't waver. It's as if she's searching for the truth within my words, grappling with the weight of her own emotions.
A lump forms in my throat, the weight of my past resurfacing. I can't bear to witness her tears any longer, so I avert my gaze. "Ryan and I have a long, twisted history, from him stealing my girlfriends in high school to being the drunk driver who hit my sister in college."
I can't see Amber's reaction, nor do I have the desire to. I don't want to see the pity or sympathy in her eyes, as if my pain can be appeased by their mere presence.
"So, you're going to kill me." Amber's voice trembles, breaking at the end of her sentence.
I dart my focus on her. "No," I retort, my tone firm and resolute. "I won't lay a finger on you. I'm not a monster like him."
"Could've fooled me," she quietly mumbles.
Amber's words hang in the air, an accusation that stings deep. I clench my fists, my jaw tightening. "I’m doing what I have to do," I snap, my voice strained.
"Cole, I can't pretend to comprehend your pain, but using me as a means of vengeance won't bring you any peace."
I don’t answer. Amber may think she has me all figured out, but she’s not the one who had to sit next to my sister’s hospital bed, praying she’d survive. She’s not the one who held her hand as she woke up and discovered she’d never be able to walk again. She’s not the one carrying the burden of the medical bills, trying to get together enough money for all the things that will improve her quality of life.
Ryan wasted no time in disappearing from our life after the accident, abandoning our so-called friendship. I spent countless nights by my sister's bedside, praying for a miracle. Meanwhile, Ryan continued to live his luxurious life without a care in the world, completely oblivious to the pain he inflicted.
I can't let him escape the consequences any longer.
Amber breaks the silence, her words escaping slowly as she hesitates. "Did Ryan really hit her with his car and bail?"
I nod, biting down on my lip. "Got the hospital bills to prove it." I gesture with a nod toward the drawer beside her. It's filled with receipts, each one a painful reminder of the costs incurred since that fateful day.
Her voice softens as she asks, "What's her name?"
My heart thumps as I look at Amber, her lids drooping down, her beautiful eyes out of sight. She's beginning to grasp the reality of Ryan's actions.
“Cheryl,” I manage to say, swallowing right after. “She’s in a wheelchair now.”
My left fist clenches, a tight knot of responsibility. Speaking her name still feels difficult. I played a part in her accident, bringing Ryan into our lives and allowing him to ruin us both. Cheryl says she doesn’t despise me, doesn’t blame me, but I don’t believe her. Instead, I despise and hate myself enough for the both of us.
Which is why I’m capable of doing what I’m doing now.
“I'm so sorry,” Amber says quietly, cutting my line of thought. She’s sympathizing with me, as unbelievable as the idea is, she truly is.
Looking at her, I begin to see why she ended up with Ryan. She chose to see his best side, to believe in him. But I don't want her to extend the same kindness to me. I want her to see the worst.
“Yeah well, this is where you come in.” I let the smile tug at my lips watching as she raises her head to meet my gaze. "You're going to call Ryan and ask him to give me the amount to cover all of Cheryl's hospital bills.”
"W-what?" Amber's voice cuts through the air, her words stumbling out of her mouth. Her forehead wrinkles with frustration, and her eyes gleam with a fiery intensity. She looks about ready to bite my head off.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Damn it! I managed to keep my composure earlier, but now her sudden change has me completely aroused. Who looks that hot getting angry?
I scowl at her. “It's only fair, considering he put her there."
"Well, I'm not doing it for you! That's just ridiculous," she blurts out firmly, pursing her lips in a defiant pout.
