Page 48 of The Sweetest Revenge

"I stopped feeling anything for you when you killed my sister."

My chest tightened with anger. "Tell me," I said, my voice low and dangerous. My hands clenched at my sides. "Tell me what I did, Zaiden." His chest rose and fell rapidly, matching my own ragged breathing. "What," I hissed, shoving hard at his chest, "did I do to Kacie?"

"Why don't you tell me?" He scowled. "You are the reason she left that night."

I blinked rapidly, my brows furrowing as I sifted through the hazy recollections of that night. "What?" I shook my head. "Zaiden, that's not true."

"It is true." He released me, taking a step back.

"I didn't even see Kacie that night."

"Stop lying," His voice erupted like a volcano, its force making me flinch. Veins stood out on his neck, his face flushing a deep crimson as he leaned in, eyes blazing with a mix of fury and desperate denial.

"Who told you that, because I never saw her that night?" I squared my shoulders, not backing down. He was wrong, and I needed him to know it. "I didn't know she'd ever shown up to the party until after the accident."

"What did you argue about, Ariella?" He ignored me. "Did you tell her about us?" My eyes widened. "I told you it wasn't the right time?—"

"I didn't tell her anything because there was no us, Zaiden," I growled, shoving my finger into his chest. "I told you there wouldn't be an us until you told her, but I didn't tell her anything because I didn't see her that night." I thought back to that night. I had only been at the party an hour before we found out about the accident. "I was with Journey, Sterling, and you all night."

He shook his head. "You're lying."

"Who told you she left because of me?"

"Samantha Morrison," he said. "She saw Kacie leaving that night. She asked her what was wrong because Kacie was so upset. Kacie said it was you."

"Is that all she said?"

"That's all she had to say. My sister left that party drunk that night," his voice cracked. "And got behind the wheel because of whatever you said or did to her."

"Kacie was my best friend?—"

He surged forward, using his body to slam me back into the wall. "You never deserved her friendship."

This wasn't getting us anywhere. I needed Zaiden to remember that night, to remember how he felt for me and how close Kacie and I were. "That night at the party," I whispered. What did you say to me?"

"When?"

"When you pulled me off to the side, and you kissed me so hard I couldn't breathe."

"You pushed me off of you."

"Because I didn't want to be your dirty little secret."

"You weren't."

"I was as long as you kept us and our feelings a secret. I agreed to let you tell her because you asked to be the one, but the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt Kacie, and you know it. It's why I pushed you off of me."

Our eyes locked, the air between us crackling with unspoken words and suppressed emotions. For a fleeting moment, the mask of hatred slipped, revealing a glimpse of the pain and confusion swirling in the depths of his gaze. "Tell me what you told me."

"I was drunk."

"That didn't make it any less true."

"Maybe not, but I don't feel that way anymore. I lost those feelings when I lost my sister."

The realization settled over me like a suffocating blanket. He was never going to believe me. No matter what I did, he was never going to believe that I had nothing to do with his sister's death. I was stupid to think the trauma of today changed anything.

"Let me go," I ordered, my voice eerily calm despite the storm raging inside me. I placed my hands flat against his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart; I shoved him until he stepped back. "I'm going to bed."

---