Page 61 of The Sweetest Revenge

Her brows pulled together as her arms dropped to her side. "Why not?"

I shoved my hand through my sweaty hair. "Because she made me promise not to ever mess with you."

"What?" Her forehead creased, eyes narrowing to dark slits. "When?"

"After the sleepover, when we kissed after playing spin the bottle." My fingers traced the edge of the bench as the memory surfaced, sharp and clear. "The next morning, after everyone left, we were sitting in the kitchen, and she brought it up and asked me if I liked you."

"We were kids?—"

"Yeah." A humorless laugh escaped me as I met Ariella's gaze in the gym mirror. "She told me I could have anyone I wanted. Just not you. You were important to her, and she didn't want to share you with me. At that time, it didn't matter, but then, it did."

"I had no idea she ever said that." Ariella's voice dropped to a whisper as she closed the distance between us. The anger in her stance softened for the first time. "But do you know what she said to me?" Another step forward. "Three days before she died." I shrugged. "It was Kacie, Mila, Journey, Kayla, and me, and we had to pick who we thought would be perfect for our friends."

"Okay?"

"Kacie picked you for me. She liked the idea of me being her sister-in-law someday."

"I don't understand."

"She'd been trying to hook us up, and I said no, but then we hung out that night when Kacie fell asleep early, and I thought we had a connection. I didn't want to sneak around."

"I promised her."

"When she was thirteen, Zaiden." Her lip curled up into a snarl.

"This was all my fault."

She blew out a heavy sigh before slowly shaking her head. "This wasn't your fault. It wasn't my fault."

"It was an accident, right?”

"Actually—" Ariella wrapped her arms around herself, something dark flickering across her face. "I'm not sure."

CHAPTER30

ARIELLA

My fingers uncurled from their fists, one joint at a time, as the familiar rage ebbed away. Damn Zaiden. Damn him for destroying my life, and damn me for the unwanted sympathy that crept in whenever I saw that haunted look in his eyes. He'd thrown blame around like weapons, desperate to make someone—anyone—responsible for Kacie's death. Only to end up cutting himself deepest when he learned the truth: she'd left the party that night because of him.

But that didn't change the fact that he wasn't responsible for her death.

I had a gut feeling that someone else was, but I had to figure out who, and I wasn't even sure where to start.

"What are you talking about?" Zaiden's voice cut through the humid gym air. He dragged the towel across his face, but his eyes never left mine, sharp, predatory.

My jaw ached from clenching, a physical reminder to keep my mouth shut. Looking at him now made my stomach twist—part disgust, part that old, traitorous pull that refused to die. Getting involved with Zaiden again would be like reaching into a tiger's cage, especially after everything he'd done to me.

"Nothing." The lie tasted bitter as I turned toward the door, measuring each step like I was walking on glass. "I have to go."

I'd almost made it to the door when a strong arm hooked around my waist, jerking me back. I winced when the door slammed shut.

His arm tightened, molding me against the hard planes of his body. Sweat dampened his shirt where it pressed to mine, and the heat of him seeped through the thin fabric, a phantom caress that sent electricity dancing across my skin.

"Let me go." I meant it. I did. But my body remembered other times he'd held me like this–times when his touch had been welcomed, addictive. Dangerous. The slight tremor in my voice gave me away, and his knowing smirk told me he hadn't missed it.

"If you know something, start talking." His hands lingered a heartbeat too long before he released me. I spun to face him, hating how my skin burned where he'd touched me, hating more how much I wanted him to do it again. "Do you want to do this the hard way?" I stepped back. "I like the hard way."

The wall hit my back, knocking the air from my lungs, the truth about Kacie's brakes burned in my throat, demanding to be spoken. But working with Zaiden meant letting him back in, and after everything he'd done to me, I didn't want him anywhere near me.

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