Page 99 of The Plan

He moves toward me and takes my hand in his but doesn’t say anything, and his silence worries me.

“Tell me it isn’t true, Sire.” He shakes his head softly and takes my hand in his again.

“It—”

“This is starting to feel a bit melodramatic, don’t you think?” I ignore Brent and tug on Sire’s hand. He turns back to me and watches me carefully.

“It isn’t true, my love.” I shake my head at the uncertainty in his voice.

“You have a horrible poker face, Gryffindor.”

“Vid, I can explain.” He wipes my tears, but I move his hands off of me and blink away my tears because he doesn’t get to see how hurt I am.

I shove the stupid penguin back at Buzz and force my feet to walk back into the house. I pick up the pace when I hearSire following behind me and quickly make my way through the party, out the front of the house.

“Vidia!” Ignoring him, I keep walking toward my car and try to catch my breath, but I can’t. I feel a knot in my throat, and I can’t breathe. I feel like I’m suffocating. I stop in my tracks and try to calm myself down.

“Breath, my love.”

“I’m trying!” I take in a ragged breath and take a step away from him. “Don’t call me that.”

“Vid—”

“It was all a lie. Wasn’t it? Everything between us was—” My voice breaks, and I hate myself for how weak I sound. “Answer me!” The weakness in my voice is suddenly gone, and I’m left with anger. Angry he isn’t explaining, angry I was so stupid.

“It wasn’t all a lie, Vid. I love y—”

“Don’t say that. No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.” He takes his hand in mine, but his touch isn’t the same anymore. It’s like I don’t even know him. I feel my stomach turn like I’m going to be sick, and I pull away.

“You’re a liar,” I say in disbelief. I can see the hurt in his eyes, but I don’t feel any pity for him. “I should’ve known, and I should’ve never given you a chance. You clearly didn’t deserve it, and you didn’t deserve me or the future my mom granted you.”

“I didn’t lie.”

“You didn’t? So you guys didn’t discuss using me to get to my mom?” He avoids my eyes, and I let out a scoff.

“Well, technically we did, but—” I feel all the trust I had in him fade.

“Go to hell.” I turn to leave but pause. “You know what?” I pull the jersey over my head and ball it up before throwing it at him. “That’s all you wanted, right?” He looks down at the jersey on the floor, the beautiful stingray on it facing us.

I shake my head at him, and when I walk away, he grabs hold of my hand, but I push his arm away hard. I hear him wince behind me, and I spin around. I glance at the injured arm he’s holding and then look into his eyes.

“When you make it to the major league, and you will, thanks tome,I want you to remember this moment every time you throw a pitch or swing a bat and your arm hurts because it will.”It’s going to hurt like I’m hurting now.

“You’re going to feel like your arm is deteriorating, and I hope it does. I hope your arm never heals and the future you used me for is thrown away, and you’re left with nothing.”

His expression is unreadable, but that’s not what I wanted. I want to see the hurt on his face, but he’s emotionless. “You don’t mean that.”

“The same way you didn’t mean it when you said you love me.” I turn on my heels before he can respond and head for my car.

“Vidia, please. I do love you.” He sounds desperate, but I don’t care. I spin back around, my hands shaking with anger.

“Stop saying that! You don’t love me.”

“I swear I do.”

“Well, I don’t.” My voice is cold, and I almost don’t recognize it. I slip the ring he gave me off of my finger, and my eyes stay locked on his as I throw the ring as far as I can in the trees behind him.

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