Page 160 of Without Fault

I feel my heart sink as my face drops. “Please tell me you're joking.”

August shakes his head, and I let my head fall.

“If it makes you feel any better, Liam didn't fight back.”

“That makes me feel worse, August.” Feeling a headache forming, I rub my temples. “Whywould he even do that?”

“He's convinced Walker only slept with you to piss us off.” August shrugs like he also believes that. “Don't get me wrong, you're an amazing person, Sage, and you're beautiful; I mean, duh, you're my twin.”

We both let out a soft laugh before he continues.

“Any man would be lucky to be with you, and we don't think there was no other reason he got with you, but he's an asshole, and until proven otherwise, I'm convinced it was all out of spite.”

I don't say anything in response, and when my eyes land on my plate again, I change the topic. “Can you please tell Sire to join the call again? I called you guys because I wanted company while I ate.”

August nods in understanding before he texts our brother, and a minute later, he joins the call again, but he still doesn't look happy, and I feel my face fall again.

“Okay,” August starts. “Lose the attitude, Sire, because you're making my sister feel bad. Don't make me drive to your house this early in the morning. She didn't know Walker was a dickhead, and we can't help who we fall for. So put on the best performance of your life and act supportive because her happiness comes before all else.”

Sire doesn't look pleased, but August sends him a knowing look, and surprisingly, he doesn't fight him on it. “What are you eating, Sage?” Sire voices sincerely, and I flip the camera to show them my plate.

August hums in return, and I watch as he rises from his seat. “I’m hungry.” He walks into his kitchen, and I chew my lip as I turn the camera back to me and lean my phone in front of me.

“Yeah, so am I. Vidia made those Red Lobster biscuits again last night–” Sire looks around for something. “She messed them up again, but I told her they were better and ate one. I actually think I might get food poisoning.”

I stifle a laugh at how quiet he’s being as he walks into his kitchen to serve breakfast. Vidia is a good cook, but she apparently can’t get these biscuits right. I know they are Sire’s favorite, though, so I’m sure she’s going to keep trying.

My brothers casually get me to talk about my day as they serve their breakfast. I move my dinner around with my fork as they sit to eat.

“So you like it so far?” August asks before biting into his food.

“Yeah, I love it. Everyone is so friendly, especially at work.” I keep my eyes on my plate but look back up at my phone when they don’t respond. They’re both watching me carefully, and I try to smile, but it looks like I feel worse than I do.

“Talk to us, Sage.” Sire urges, and I let out a long sigh. I try to form the words but can’t get anything out. A second later, it looks like Sire’s typing on his phone, and after a minute of August telling me I’m going to be okay, Lisette’s pretty face pops in, and she looks half asleep.

“What’s up, bitches?” Her groggy voice sounds through the phone as she rubs her eyes.

“Lissy bear!” I smile over at her, and she rolls her eyes, but she has a small smile on her face as she complains about my nickname. I know she secretly likes it.

“Are you having a hard time, Sage?” Lis asks so straightforwardly, but I shouldn’t have expected her to be soft about this like my brothers are. She watches me the way she watches Sire when they talk about his addiction, and it reassures me that she’ll be able to help.

“Yeah…”

“What are you thinking when you look at your plate?”

I glance back over at all of the food, and I feel like every grain of rice and piece of fish is screaming at me. “It’s just too much. I saw how many calories this was on the menu and–”

“Okay, we’re doing this one step at a time. Okay?”

I let out a sigh and give my sister a nod. She tells me to get a second plate, so I do.

“On the second plate, you're going to serve a small amount. It doesn’t have to be a lot, just however much doesn’t scare you.”

I nod to myself as I start serving the plate, but I feel my eyes stinging.

“You’re doing good, Sage, just–”

“Why are you crying?” Lis cuts off August, and her words aren’t harsh, only like she genuinely wants to know, so I swallow the lump in my throat as I answer her.

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