Page 72 of One Little Lie
I can’t take the pain anymore. I want to kick and scream. I want to fight. However, when I raise my gaze, all I can see is the hurt I’ve caused.
“I never wanted to hurt you, sweetheart, but Colton loved you first. Dad said … Dad reminded me I couldn’t do that to him.”
Rylan blinks, but otherwise, doesn’t move a muscle for a really long time.
“Sweetheart?”
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
A rage I’ve never seen mars her beautiful face. Rylan’s lips press together in a tight line as her face turns an unnatural shade of red that glows even in the moonlight. Her shoulders shake with a tension I can feel building, and I’m helpless to stop any of it.
“All this pain,” she seethes. “All these lies and heartache were because you think Colton loved me first? So, what? He just gets me? Are you fucking kidding me, Hatty? I’m not a goddamn Lego set. No one calls dibs on me. Do you have any idea of the torment I lived through? How lonely my life was because I couldn’t just cut you from my life? I also had to take a step back from my best friend because it was too painful to have that physical reminder. You hurt us all because of some childish code of ethics? Y-You didn’t give me a choice.” Her voice, so full of rage and anguish, cuts me to my core. “Can you see how stupid that is, Hatty? You ripped my heart out, set it on fire, and walked away because Colton called dibs.” An almost maniacal laugh escapes, and her eyes are glassy and wild. “The worst part of this all? Colton never even wanted me that way. You did all this, and all he’s ever wanted was to be my friend.”
“But he’s always loved you, and I can’t do this to him.” I take a step back, putting more ocean between us, but Rylan isn’t having it. She mimics my moves.
As she stares at me, I start to feel really stupid.Do I have this all wrong? Have I made a tragic mistake all these years?
In a fit of anger, she splashes water at my face and doesn’t let up. I have to sink into the ocean to escape her constant barrage of water, and when I surface, I pin both of her wrists behind her. The movement forces us together, and her tits smash against my chest.
“How could you be so stupid, Halton?”
I flinch, but she speaks over me. This time, I deserve to be called Halton. It’s better than asshole, I guess.
“Yes, of course Colton has loved me forever. I love him, too.”
A strangled cry escapes my throat without warning. Rylan might as well drown me now, because I’ll never survive this conversation.
“I …” I don’t know what to say, but I also can’t bring myself to let her go. I fear if I do, I’ll never hold her again.
“God, Hatty. I hate you so much right now.” Tears cascade down her cheeks, taking her residual mascara with it.
I shift her wrists to one hand and use the thumb of my free one to erase the black marks. The small gesture feels monumental in my heart.
“How could you do this, Hatty? How could you be so dumb? You’ve hurt us all for so long. And for nothing.”
I suck in a painful breath. “It isn’t nothing, Rylan. Family has to come first. You know that.”
“You … You just don’t get it, do you?” A hiccup escapes, and I’ve never seen her eyes so sad. “Colton loves me, yes. Just like he loves Lexi and Ari. He loves us all, Hatty. He isn’t in love with us. He isn’t in love with me. He never has been and never will be. How can you not see that? He calls me freaking Ryguy because he thinks I’m one of the guys. I couldn’t ever belong to him because you’ve owned my heart since I was six years old.” She breaks on a sob, and my shoulders cave. The pain in my chest feels like a gunshot wound. “You’re my panacea, too. You always have been. I’m lost without you. I’ve been lost for years, Hatty. Please, please help me find my home.”
Colton isn’t in love with her? Does that matter? He will be someday … won’t he?
“How?” I force out. It sounds pained, and I struggle to form a clear sentence. “How do you know he doesn’t love you?”
Slowly, Rylan wiggles an arm free and raises it toward me, placing a soft palm on the side of my face.
“Oh, Hatty.” My eyes close as I soak in her touch. “How do you feel when you’re with me?”
“Whole.”
“That’s how I know. You’re the other piece of me. A love so rare no one else could fit. We’re like a puzzle that only has two pieces. Colton doesn’t fit with me. His other half is still out there, and if you’d ever stopped to ask him, he would have told you this. Anyone would have told you this. Why did you keep it to yourself? Why didn’t you ever talk to someone? You could have saved us all so much pain.”
Shame sits heavy on my soul as her words take root.
“My father died because of our fight.”
