Page 94 of Prove Me Wrong
“What?”
He stands, coming towards me, resting his hands on my shoulders. “I want you to stop feeding yourself these lies Ryan forced you to believe, because that’s all they are. You are good. You’re kind, loving, and I hate to say it, but you are pretty, too. Stop telling yourself otherwise. I said it once before, and I will say it again. When you give in to these lies, when you tell yourself you’re not good enough, that you don’t deserveanything, you are letting Ryan win. He was a snake, a wanker who didn’t deserve you because you were way too good for him, and he knew that. It’s why he did what he did: to bring you down to his level. To use you so that you’d be just as damaged as he felt inside. But you’re not, Mia. And if I hear you say it one more time, I won’t hesitate to tell Mum everything myself.”
Heart pounding heavily, I stare up at him. My brother’s towering body, eyes dull with pent-up anger I hadn’t realised he was holding onto for me. I never knew he felt this way whenever I fell into the negative thoughts swirling around inside my head.
Sniffing loudly, I push my hair out of my eyes and murmur, “Okay.”
My brother stares at me with narrowed sea blue eyes, the air around us thickening. “Okay? That’s it?”
My head shakes from side to side. “I don’t want to let him win anymore, Sin. I’m exhausted from constantly running from my past, from thinking about these things that still control me. I need to learn to shut them out.”
“Yes, you do,” he grunts out. “Because I’m tired of seeing you tear yourself apart. You’re better than this, and it hurts me to see you this way. You deserve to be happy with someone. We all do.”
Nodding, I wipe my nose, sucking in a deep breath. “I’m going to tell Mum,” I tell him decidedly.
“When?”
I gulp, thinking it over. My interview with the design firm is tomorrow, but Mum is a very hands-on boss in her office. I’ll probably need to schedule an appointment just to spend some time with her alone. “When she has the availability to sit and listen to me, because you’re right. She needs to know what happened. She should know why I have been this way for a while now.”
Sinnett’s hand comes to rest on my prominent shoulder blade, squeezing loosely. “I think you’re doing the right thing, twinkle fingers.”
Nodding again, my lips twitch. I wrap my arms around my brother’s taller, thicker frame. His scent is warm and familiar, his heart beating steadily against my cheek. He presses me closer, enveloping me in his comfortable embrace. “I'm proud of you.”
Those four words are ones that I have craved for so long. Sinnett saying them makes me think of Mum when I told her about the interview. The brightness in her tone, the delight in her voice, made my stomach flip, because I felt like, for the first time in a long time, she was actually proud of me.
But Sinnett means it for a different reason. It’s not because I am starting a new career or moving on with my life. It’s because I'm starting to realise that everyone else is right, that I shouldn’t live with this fear, this constant anxiety hanging over my head like a dark cloud.
“Thank you,” I whisper, the side of my face pushed against his burly chest, eyes pressed shut. I try biting my tongue to keep the words from spilling, but it’s useless. “I miss him,” I admit quietly. “And I really miss Jade.”
“Why don’t you just call him?”
Sniffing, I release myself from his grip, eyes prickling with unshed tears. I blink them away. “I—I don’t think I can. At least not right now.”
“Why not? If he loves you?—”
“Then he wouldn’t have let me leave.”
My brother gives me his signature twisted smile, a dark brow slightly arched, cheekbones raised and visible. “Maybe it’s a good thing, then, that you’re here, just to have some time to think on your own. But are you fine staying with Mum and Dad? You can stay here with me and Khai if you want.”
Shaking my head, I flash him a brief smile that doesn’t reach my eyes. “Thank you, but I can stay with them. I don’t want to be in your way, because I’m sure you’re busy.”
“I might be busy, but you’re still my sister.”
I give him a small shrug. “Will you be coming over Friday night? Mum and Dad want to have dinner with us.”
His eyes shift, glancing away as Sinnett rubs the back of his hair, jaw ticking. “I don’t think I should be there.”
“Why not?” I ask with pinched features.
Sinnett blows out a long breath. I can see him fighting internally, knowing how much of his own pressure he’s dealing with. “Dad and I aren’t speaking right now.”
The crease between my eyebrows deepens. “Oh, right.”
"We had an argument about my career.”
My mouth parts slightly. “What did you do?”
“Nothing, and that's the problem,” Sinnett grunts. I know he’s just trying to protect himself right now, as he does when he’s dealing with things, but I want to help him, just like he’s always next to me when I need him.
