Page 21 of When Forever Comes

Tears blur my vision. I really thought Brad turned over a new leaf when we went to college. I hadn’t heard a word from West for five years by then and figured it was time to give up on him and move on. I was so stupid to think Brad had become a different person overnight.

“And here you are, finding out it’s you who no longer has a chance,” I say with a haughty smile.

Brad’s face falls for a second before his sneer returns. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Sure, I cheated on you, but you’ve clearly never stopped having feelings for West. Your cheating is even worse.” He rests his hands on his hips.

I stiffen my spine. “That’s a completely different scenario and you know it. I never acted on my feelings.”

Brad changes topics. “Did West tell you why he moved? Or why his family vanished in the middle of the night?” Brad’s taunting smile both sets me on edge and fuels my protective instinct. “He’s not who you think he is,” Brad warns.

“West is even more than I thought he was.” I let my eyes roam over West. “I somehow forgot he has a heart of gold.”

There’s dual emotions in West’s eyes: fear and desire. I’m not sure which one I see more of.

“Really?” I can see Brad shake his head from the corner of my eye. “You’re drooling over a killer. Did you know that?”

Those words break me free of my ogling to look at Brad.

“Don’t,” West snaps at Brad.

“Don’t? Are you kidding me? Did you really think I’d sit idly by while you stole my fiancée and not tell her the truth about you? It’s another reason I chose this resort — to show Olivia once and for all who you really are.”

“West?” I ask.

He closes his eyes, and his face is full of regret.

“West caused the fire that burned down the school administration building and killed Mr. Fields.” Brad doesn’t waste another second.

Suddenly, all the contents of my stomach turn sour. My mind runs through all the details my dad shared with me, and I conclude that Brad could be telling the truth. Maybe I don’t know West as well as I thought I did.

“Is that true?” I direct my question to West.

He says nothing.

“That’s why you moved away, isn’t it?” I push.

“Yes.” West’s voice is full of pain. “No one blamed me. Not out loud, anyway.”

“I blamed you. Most of the firemen blamed you. Even a handful of teachers knew it was your fault Mr. Fields died,” Brad says.

“Shut up, Brad,” I command.

“Excuse me?” Brad asks in a tone that tells me I’m walking a fine line.

“What happened at the admin building was an awful accident, but that’s what it was ruled — an accident,” I say.

“It was an accident, but it was my fault,” West says. “I thought I blew the candle out before leaving Mr. Henderson’s office, but I must have forgotten. It caught the curtains on fire and burned down half the building.”

“The fire was caused by a cigarette in the trash can,” I tell him.

“What?” West asks.

“Yeah, after a deeper investigation, they realized the candle wasn’t the cause of the fire. It was a cigarette in a trash can,” I explain.

“So I wasn’t the one who caused—”

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