Page 97 of Don't Say You're Sorry

“Give me your phone.”

He doesn’t move. When he speaks, there’s an edge to his voice that makes me want to punch him. “Why?”

“I know what you did.”

He nods, expecting that, his jaw ticking as he sidesteps, putting himself between me and the bed.

“Give it to me,” I demand.

“No.”

I dart around him and find it charging on his pillow. We race to grab it, and he wins, but it’s not hard to snatch it from him since one of his hands is preoccupied holding the towel in place.

He curses. “Adam, that’s not a good idea. Trust me. Nothing good will come fro?—”

A bitter laugh leaves me as I shut the door on my way out.Trust him, he says. Over my dead body.

Clutching his phone as if he’s going to run after me and steal it, I go to my room and lock the door. Easton’s sitting on theedge of the bed with his elbows on his knees and his hands in his hair. His eyes are full of torment as he watches me unlock Axel’s phone.

“Don’t,” he says.

“I have to.”

“Adam, I’m begging you not to do this.”

My ears whoosh. My heart is pounding.

Usually, I wouldn’t be able to say no to that. I would do almost anything he asks. But not this. I need to see what he wrote to me. I need to hear what he said to me.

“It’s not gonna be pretty, Adam.”

“I don’t care,” I whisper, scrolling through Axel’s text messages.

I can’t believe this. How could he do this to Easton? To me?

When I find a text thread with the contact name ‘E’, I pause and click on it. My heart drops down to my ass as I scroll through the text messages, none of them answered.

E

Don’t go. Please.

Call me back.

Now, Adam.

Please, baby.

I just need to know you’re okay.

Did you land yet?

Answer the phone.

Why won’t you answer me? Are you okay? Please, just tell me you’re okay.

My vision blurs as I keep reading, taking in every word he wrote, feeling his pain as if it’s my own.

This isn’t funny. When are you coming back?