Page 92 of Masked Sins
She’ll never want me like that.
What keeps me up at night is knowing that she has no idea why—the real reason I interrupted her audition for the ParisSchool of Ballet. If she hates me forever, then so be it. At least she’ll never have to know what those vile judges said about her. She can and has directed all of her rage at me, and it’s preferable than to see her questioning her talent or value.
I’d take the bullet for her if it meant those words never caused her to have harmful thoughts about food again.
“Yeah. It’s nice to see them all together.”
“Best man and maid of honor.” Chase leans back in his chair.
“What are you insinuating, Chase?”
He shakes his head and looks away. He’s the most playful out of all of us, but he and I are a lot alike. He obsessed over Juliet for a long time before they got together since she was his best friend’s sister.
“Nothing. Just that … Liam seems to think you have a thing for your stepsister.”
“What the fuck, man?” Liam leans in closer to the two of us. He glares at Chase. “So much for keeping secrets,” he growls.
“It doesn’t matter,” I tell them, standing up. “It’s never going to happen. I need some fresh air.”
I walk away from the rehearsal dinner table and down a random hallway of The Black Rose, passing an office and a storage closet.
“Orion.”
I turn around to see Miles jogging after me.
“What’s up?” I ask, shoving my hands into the pocket of my dress pants.
“I just wanted to make sure… you know…” He winces. “Chase told me.”
I roll my eyes. “Wonderful.”
He takes a step forward and claps my shoulder. “I remember how close you and Layla used to be. And though I don’t know exactly what happened, I do know one thing.”
“Is this where you give me unsolicited, older brother advice?” I ask, a hint of sarcasm in my voice. Out of all of my brothers, Miles is the most serious.Andthe grumpiest. It still astounds me that he and Stella work so well together since she’s so bubbly and effervescent.
His lips twitch. “Perhaps.” He looks down and begins to speak. “I think the two of us are the most alike,” he says slowly. “We’re softies underneath our hard shells. We put up armor so that no one can hurt us. Whatever happened between you and Layla…”
He pauses, searching for the right words. “Look, we both have darker interests. We both find solace in the shadows and the complexities of the world, things that people like Chase and Liam wear proudly on their sleeves. It’s so easy to descend into that darkness, to let it consume us. But sometimes, if we’re lucky, we’re shown a light. My life wasn’t easy before I met Estelle. I never expectedanyoneto love me like she does. But… she does.”
He looks over at me, his expression sincere. “It’s rare, brother. But it’s also scary as fuck.”
I swallow before I answer. “That’s all good and well, Miles. But she hates me. And it seems like she always will.”
Miles huffs a laugh. “Trust me. She doesn’t hate you. You should tell her.”
I look down at the ground. “It’s not that simple.”
“I never said it would be simple,” he replies. “But it’ll be worth it. One day… maybe a week, or a month, or a year from now, I want you to remember this conversation. When you finally pull your head out of your own personal pity party, you might find that she doesn’t hate you as much as she says she does. And when that day comes, I expect a thank you.”
Did I mention he’s also the brother most prone to gossip and nosiness? If there’s drama, there’s a good chance he’s the culprit. He loves to meddle.
I smile. “You’re a fucking bastard.”
He laughs and claps me on the back. For a moment, we stand there in silence, the weight of his words settling between us.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“Anytime, little bro. Don’t forget to get your light.”
