Page 155 of Emylia

“Yetyoucan know?” I said, my voice sharp, unraveling. “What makes you worthy, and not me?”

“Youareworthy.” The way he said it—Gods, it almost made me believe him.

Almost.

But if I was so worthy—why the secrets?

“Just not with this?” I fired back, the words bitter in my mouth.

“Em—”

“No.” My voice cracked. “You almost had me believing I meantsomethingto you.” My voice trembled with fury. “That Iwassomething to you. But this—” I shook my head. “This just proves you’re a liar.”

He flinched, hurt darkening his eyes. But I didn’t let him speak. I wasn’t done. The hurt was too obliterating.

“What about Dad?” I demanded, heat rising like fire under my skin. “Did he know?”

“Em—” Sebastian’s face changed. His skin paled. His mouth opened, but no sound came.

He didn’t say it. He didn’t have to.

Oh my Gods.

That was a yes.

The pain slammed into me, violent and alive. It stole the breath from my lungs. Crushed my chest. Twisted my heart until it forgot how to beat.

I couldn’t breathe.

My whole life had been a lie.

Sebastian took a step forward, reaching for me like he could still salvage us. I recoiled, batting his hand away like it burned. The thought of him touching me made bile crawl up my throat.

“Don’t you dare touch me.” Hatred seethed from me as my father’s betrayal stung more than anything else.

Sebastian’s body went rigid, pulling away from me like he’d been been branded. “Please…” The hurt and confusion in his eyes only added to my own.

I shouldn’t be the one who had to tell him how much my father’s involvement hurt me; he knew me better than anyone else. He knew how much both of their betrayals would destroy me. “What did you think would happen?” I snapped.

“Look, I’ll fix it.” He opened his arms in vulnerability, and I believed he wanted to fix things.

“Will you tell me everything?” I shot back with so much venom I felt him recoil.

One second passed, and then another. “No.”

“Then you can’t fix this!” My voice climbed a couple of octaves, the sound shrill, even to my ears.

“We were only trying to protect you. And we would do it all again if we had to.”

My laugh came out like a demented cackle. “Fuck. You.”

As soon as those words left my mouth, I regretted them, but I’d come too far, and I was far too angry to back down.

“Em…” The look in his eyes said it all, I’d hurt him, really hurt him.

I should’ve apologized, I should’ve told him I hadn’t meant any of it, because I hadn’t.

Sebastian was everything to me, losing him would hurt more than losing anyone else in this world. He was my everything. But the words of an apology were ash in my mouth, my wrath incinerating them before they had a chance to blossom.

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