Page 69

“That’s not—” I open my mouth to argue but quickly snap it shut.

“You haven’t just been lying to me. You’ve also been lying to yourself. And for what? Because you’re scared of getting hurt.”

“I’m not scared...”

“Bullshit.” Her nostrils flare. “I know you, River. I know what Annie’s betrayal did to you, and I get it. I’ve lived through it myself. But you can’t keep doing this. You can’t keep putting up walls between you and other people because if you do, one day, you’re going to find yourself barricaded behind them with no means of escape.” She blows out a breath. “Charlotte deserves better. And frankly, so do you.”

“I’m sorry,” I say the one thing I should have said the moment she appeared in the doorway. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m sorry I broke your trust. And I’m even more sorry that I pulled Char into the lie. Please don’t be upset with her. You mean so much to her, and the thought that I may have caused a rift... I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you started fucking my best friend and lying to me about it.” She seethes. “Does anyone else know?”

“Know what?” I play dumb because I don’t want to answer the question. I don’t want to implicate anyone else because, at the end of the day, I’m the one to blame here, not anyone else.

“About you and Char.”

“Ly—”

“Who?” She reads me like an open book.

“Dalton... And Maisie.”

At the mention of Maisie, she draws back like I’ve physically slapped her across the face.

“Maisie knows?”

“She figured it out the night we were all at Mom and Dad’s for dinner, the week Char was visiting.”

She shakes her head, more tears filling her eyes as she realizes three of the people closest to her in her life have been lying to her. Guilt tears me open.

“I see.” She tries to hold on to a semblance of her composure.

“I’m so sorry, Lyric. Truly. I never meant for it to go this far.”

“Whether you meant for it to or not is irrelevant. You wanna know the sad thing? I would have supported this. I would have been happy for you. For Char.”

“I know.”

“Which is precisely why you didn’t tell me.” It’s not a question. “You’re going to break her heart. You know that, don’t you?”

“Charlotte is tougher than she looks.”

“She wants you to think that, but deep down, she’s just as fragile as the rest of us, maybe even more so.” She turns toward the door.

“What are you going to do?” I call to her back.

“Nothing. There’s nothing to be done.” She tugs open the door, turning to look at me over her shoulder. “Do not ever lie to me again.” It’s the last thing she says before she disappears into the hallway.

Chapter Sixteen

Charlotte

“Lyric...” I chase after my best friend as I watch her exit my building like that damn thing has been lit on fire. “Lyric, please wait.”

She stops so abruptly I damn near run straight into her.

“You lied to me.” She spins on me so quickly the action makes me feel slightly off balance. “You, Char, of all people.”

“I know.” I choke out a sob, feeling ready to burst open at the seams. “I wanted to tell you. I asked him to. Upstairs, before you showed up, I demanded it. I was prepared to end things if he didn’t come clean to you.”