Page 94 of Own Me

"She wants an explanation, and I owe it to her—-"

Ysabel knew it should be enough that he wasn't lying about it, but instead, she heard herself ask, "Can't you just text it?" As soon as the words fell past her lips, she knew right away it was a stupidly shallow thing to say, and she wasn't surprised at the way her question had Massimo's lips tightening in impatience.

"Do you truly think I am the kind of man who would explain these things over text?"

It hurt to sound him so scathing, especially when just earlier he had been so heartbreakingly tender. But what hurt even more was to realize how shamefully desperate she felt. She didn't want him to go to Ynez and have her sister further poison him against her.

"You must learn to trust me, Ysabel. It is over between me and your sister, but she also heard me lie—-"

"But it's not a lie," Ysabel blurted out. "Five years ago—-"

"Do not say another word," Massimo gritted out.

"Please just let me explain," she begged. "It was Halloween, and—-"

The entire diner fell silent, and Massimo bit back a curse at the way everyone was now looking at him like he had committed murder. It was true then, the way Ysabel could have everyone on her side, even though she was exactly the one to blame.

Ysabel mustered the courage to try one last time to have him hear her out. "I know you have every reason to doubt me, but I can prove it to you. My cousin—-"

"Yourcousin,you say?"

Why was Massimo suddenly speaking to her in such a vicious tone?

"It wouldn't happen to be Julio, would it?" A humorless smile twisted over Massimo's lips at Ysabel's visible shock. "I spoke to your cousin years ago, and he warned me about you."

Ysabel couldn't help feeling as if her entire world had turned into a nightmare, and there was no way to escape its horrors. "I d-don't understand—-"

"You told him about reading Ynez's diary, and he warned me about how you may choose to twist the truth to your advantage."

She could only look at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. "You're l-lying. Julio would never—-"

"Just fucking stop!"Massimo saw her eyes well up with tears at the tone of his voice, and the sight tore him apart even though he knew he had not done anything wrong. "You promised you had changed, dammit."

"Massimo, please—-"

This, dammit.

This was the consequence of allowing himself to open up to a woman who had too many similar traits to his mother. But even though this realization should have led him to walk out, Massimo instead heard himself say, "Just admit it."

Her eyes widened.

"Admit that you lied. That you planned to lie. And all will be forgiven."

A part of her wanted to say no. To stand her ground and force him to realize the truth.

But when she thought about how she could risk losing him completely by doing so—-

I can't. I'm sorry, God, but I can't.

And so she heard herself choke out, "I'm sorry, Mas. The moment I heard you say you wanted to go to Ynez, I was terrified you'd realize you wanted her, not me. B-because how can you—-" It hurt so, so much to say the next words, but she knew she had to. "How can you want s-someone likemewhen you can have s-someone like Ynez—-"

His arms closed around her, and as Ysabel began to weep, she realized that she didn't know what she was crying for.

Was it because she was relieved Massimo hadforgivenher...or was she crying because it felt as if she had just sold her own honor and integrity for love?

Eleven

JULIO:I'm so sorry, Ysa. `I didn't know I was talking about you!

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