Page 90 of It's Always Been You
As if he knew how I was feeling, Brandon apologized quietly. It almost sounded like he meant it, too.
The last thing I wanted was his pity, though.
Ignoring him, I stood and offered him a tight smile as I reached for the door. “Call me if you need help with Teddy,” I said, feeling like a wounded animal retreating with its tail tucked between its legs.
That was it. I zipped out of there, eager to get my first and last walk of shame over with. I practically ran down his driveway, trying to outrun the tears. Impulsively, I reached up and ripped the diamond necklace from my neck.
I hesitated for only a second before throwing it out onto the road.
I might as well have thrown my heart out there with it.
Chapter 28
Evie
IbargeintoBrandon’soffice,dragging a puddle of rain into the room with me. I must look like a drowned rat, but Brandon doesn’t take any notice. In fact, he doesn’t pay me an ounce of attention as he rifles through a manila folder, as if he thinks I’m just here to return his keys. Enraged, I march up to his desk and toss the diary onto it. It lands on his keyboard with a bang, garnering his undivided attention.
When he sees what it is, his eyes snap to mine, and he rises from his chair. “Evie,” he says, his voice eerily calm, like this is no big deal. “I can explain.”
“Yes. Please enlighten me as to why my diary wasin your car.” He rounds his desk, and I back away from him as he approaches me, his hand extended. As if I would ever let him touch me again after learning he’s been reading my most private thoughts and feelings without my permission. “I know you like prying into other peoples’ business—especially mine—butthis? This is gross, Brandon.”
“I know this looks bad,” he defends, using that voice he reserves for quieting and calming spiraling patients.
My left eye twitches. “Does it? I hadn’t noticed.”
“But it’s not what it looks like, Evie. I promise.”
“It looks like you stole my diary!” He rolls his eyes, and that incenses me further. “This isn’t funny!”
“I didn’t say it was,” he says quickly, lifting his hands. “I’ve been trying to . . . I was intending to—” He drags a hand through his hair, messing up the meticulously styled, ink-black strands. “I’ve been trying to return it.”
My teeth gnash. “Oh? Because you finally finished it, huh? Which part did you enjoy the most? The part where we kissed for the first time, or when you finally screwed me over?” I laugh bitterly. “Literally.”
He gapes at me like I’ve just beheaded someone before his very eyes.
“How much did you read?” I ask, fighting the urge to scream.
He strides toward me, and I stumble back. “Evie, you’ve got it all wrong. I didn’t read a single word. This is all just one big misunderstanding—”
“I don’t get it,” I grind out, trying to see through the haze of my confusion and anger. “How could this possibly be a misunderstanding?”
He lets out a shaky breath and turns away, lifting his arms up over his head. He paces back and forth a few times, clasping his fingers together as he focuses on his breathing.
I feel a small pang of guilt as I watch him pace the length of the room.
When he finally faces me, he’s calm again. Ugh! A weird streak of jealousy flashes through me. I hate that he knows how to manage his emotions so well.
“Let me spell out exactly what happened so there is no room for confusion here. The morning after your car accident, when I visited you in bed, my foot hit something. I picked it up, not knowing it was your diary when I flipped it over. And then I saw my name on the page.”
My heart skips a beat.No!
He lifts his hands, sensing my spike in horror. “I read about a paragraph before I realized it was your diary and stopped. But then you woke up, and it looked like I was reading it, so I hid it on me.” He shakes his head. “Totally stupid. I should have just put it down, but I . . .” He groans. “I got scared. I know what you can be like, and I thought . . . she’ll never believe me if I tell her I wasn’t reading it, and I was already on such shaky ground with you—”
I purse my lips, feeling ashamed. He looks and sounds terrified.
Am I really that unreasonable?
He takes a deep, calming breath. “Look, the rest doesn’t matter. I had every intention of putting it back as soon as I could, but I never got the chance, and it’s been sitting in my car ever since. That’s it. That’s the full story.”
