Page 74 of Bleeding Hearts Duet

The biggest question surrounded the fact that the car Brayden had supposedly been driving was registered to a known drug dealer by the name of Steven Arnett. The police had never been able to track him down, and it was always presumed that he’d skipped town when the news broke.

There were questions as to whether he could have been responsible, somehow convincing a young boy to take the fall for him. One article speculated that Brayden worked for the man and he was terrified for his life. Some of the stories were good, and it gave me a little hope. But there was still a lot of doubt in the eyes of public opinion.

When I thought about it, I still couldn’t make sense of it myself. Why would Brayden ever take the fall for a drug-dealer? He’d never touch the stuff, so it didn’t add up. But in the months before the accident, his behavior had been a little odd. Norma-Jean was freaking out and acting like a mother for a change, actually worrying about him. Neither one of them would ever tell me what was going on, though. It was the same story with everyone in my life, and it was a difficult pill to swallow. Because no matter how much my relationship with Ryland evolved, there were still secrets he was hiding.

On Wednesday, when he told me he had to fly out on business for a couple days, I grew even more suspicious. He didn’t look altogether pleased about whatever he had to do. When I tried to question him, he insisted I have the rest of the week off work and get some rest. But by Friday any new information on Brayden had trickled down to nothing. When I asked Ryland about it upon his return, he said it was in the court’s hands, but it was only a matter of time now. He was confident, but I wasn’t.

When I returned to work on Monday, I had a sea of emails and voice messages to sort through. As I played them all back and jotted down notes, I could understand Stacey’s need for a caffeine drip. I was exhausted already and feeling picky about what was important. There was a message from the doctor Ryland had chosen for me. She was saying something about a follow-up appointment, but I didn't hear a word. Because when I caught sight of a man barging past, I did a double take when I saw his face, certain I must be delusional.

“Brayden?” I hung up the phone immediately.

“I’m not here to see you,” he snarled, forging towards Ryland’s office with a purpose.

I flung my chair back and chased after him, nearly toppling over in my heels as I rounded the corner. I was fast, but I wasn’t as fast as him.

I burst into Ryland’s office, just in time to see the surprise on his face as Brayden barreled around his desk. Ryland stood up, only to be met with Brayden’s fist across his jaw.

I’d seen Brayden’s fist knock other men out cold, but Ryland didn’t even flinch from the pain or the bloody lip he’d inflicted. He wiped it across his sleeve with a look of disgust and took a menacing step forward.

“You son of a bitch!” Brayden drew back his arm again.

Ryland wore a malicious smile that scared me, and I needed to act fast. I inserted myself in the middle of them and slammed my hands against Brayden’s chest, shoving him backwards.

“Stop it!” I screamed. “Just stop it. What the hell are you doing, Brayden?”

“No, what the hell are you doing?” his voice was filled with disgust. “How could you sleep with this bastard?”

“Because I love him,” I bit back. “And who I do, or do not sleep with is none of your business. I’m not a little girl anymore.”

“No, you certainly aren’t,” he sneered. “I don’t even recognize you. Norma-Jean was right, you’ve given up on this family.”

His words shocked and infuriated me, and before I could stop myself, I reached out and slapped him.

“How dare you put that on me?” I snapped. “You have no idea what I’ve had to do these last five years. You have no idea what I had to do to get you out!”

“I didn’t want out.” He waved his hand towards Ryland. “Couldn’t you understand that? I didn’t want you anywhere near him. This is what he wanted all along.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why don’t you ask your boyfriend?” Brayden seethed.

I turned to Ryland, and he disregarded me. His jaw was set and his eyes cold as they remained fixed on Brayden.

“That’s right, he’s not going to tell you.” Brayden laughed dryly. “You have no fuckin’ clue who he is or what he’s capable of. And now you’re too wrapped up in him to see any of it.”

“Then tell me,” I challenged him. “Tell me yourself what he’s done. What is it that you’ve both been hiding from me all these years? Because obviously, I can’t believe a word either one of you says.”

Brayden looked at me and shook his head, all the fight suddenly gone out of him.

“Come home, Brighton. Leave this mess behind and come home.”

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