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“We need to talk.” I slide over an extra chair as Wes and Cal take the two available ones at her table.
“N-no.” She closes her book and moves to stand, but she must realize we have her cornered, because she doesn’t get up. “I don’t want anything to do with you three.”
“You don’t sound very convinced.” Wes crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. He’s masked his hurt well, only showing Athelia the cold, disinterested stare he used to give her.
He’s already put his walls back up, and realizing it is like a stab to the gut.
“I…” Athelia swallows audibly. Her eyes are darting between the three of us as she tries to figure out what to say.
“Just tell us why,” I say. “You at least owe us that.”
That seems to flip a switch inside her. She glares at me, her hands forming fists on the table. “Excuse me? I owe younothing.”
“Thelia,” Cal says quietly. There’s no hiding the hurt in his voice—the betrayal in his brown eyes. “Why?”
“Because it’s what you deserve,” she says flatly. “And what I deserve, too.”
“You can’t just ghost us like this,” Wes says. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Whatever I want,” Athelia replies coolly.
Wes winces.
“So you’re throwing everything away,” I say. “Everything we’ve built.”
“The only thing I built was a ledge high enough to shove you off of so I could watch you fall.” She says it without emotion. When we first walked in, we caught her off guard, and I saw her regret. I know I did. But now it’s gone.
“No,” Wes grits out. “You can’t do this, Athelia. You manipulated us for months, all for what? For you to hurt us?”
“How does it feel?” The words are quiet as they leave her lips, but her gaze is razor-sharp.
My heart sinks.
Fuck.
“But you… you said you love me.” Cal’s voice almost breaks. He’s close to crying, and I haven’t seen him do that since high school.
“I lied.”
Wes’s gaze slides to Cal as he tries to keep it together. The two of us have become protective of Cal over the years—of course we have. His own fucking family abused him.
“We’re leaving,” Wes says.
Cal shakes his head, but Wes stands, and I follow suit.
“I’m not letting her hurt you more.” Wes pulls Cal up and pushes him away from the table. “We’re done here.”
Before I follow them, I turn to face Athelia one last time. “It was really all a lie?”
She nods.
“Allof it,ma belle?”
She winces at the nickname, and her defenses fall just enough for a second of longing to slip through. “All of it,” she whispers.
But I have my confirmation. It doesn’t matter if this was Athelia’s plan all along. She’s not entirely on board.
“Kellan,” Wes says. “Let’s go.”
