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“It is.” I said. “I should have never kept this a secret.”

She leaned her head back and brushed my tears away with her thumbs.

“You did what you thought was right.”

Josh stepped in.

“Don’t protect him, Mom.” He said, his knuckles turned white. “He kept this from us the entire time.”

“Joshua-”

“No.” he said, interrupting our mother. “He knew dad was cheating and he let us all believe we were one happy family.”

His words struck like a physical blow to the gut. I expected anger, but the raw intensity of Josh’s accusation caught me off guard. I looked into the angered eyes of my father and brother, and the heartbroken ones of my mother and sister. It felt as if someone was squeezing my heart in their fist. I caused all this heartbreak. So, I did what I do best when things become too much to handle. I ran.

??

My emotions were in turmoil. The weight of my family’s shattered trust was too much of a guilt trip for me to carry. My world crumbled, leading to my predicament. I balanced on the end of the vine as I tapped on the glass, yet it was barely audible against my booming thoughts. I needed a reprieve from it all. As if by some miracle, the window slid open, revealing the shocked face of the person who had become my solace.

“Asher?” Sawyer whispered, her voice soft with concern as she squinted her eyes in the darkness. “What are you doing here?”

I struggled to find the words to convey the storm raging within me. My throat tightened with emotion.

“I needed somewhere to escape, and you were the only person I thought of.”

Without hesitation, she stepped back to make room for me to enter. My heart raced with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation as I stood in the familiar confines of her room. The air was heavy with unspoken tension. I hadn’t seen her since I’d confessed my feelings to her at Ava’s party. I wanted to bring it up. To tell her I’d meant it, but I couldn’t. My pride and fear of rejection were too overbearing.

“Do you love Josh?” I asked, uncertain of why it escaped my lips.

“Yes.”

The lack of hesitation made my heart cramp.

“Are you in love with him?” I had no idea why I asked. I didn’t want to know the answer. Especially if she was in love with my brother. “You shouldn’t be with him.”

I’d interrupted her before she could answer me. I was too fearful of the answer. My heart had endured enough trampling for the night.

“Why don’t you want me to date him?”

I wasn’t sure if she was curious or clueless.

“He’s not good enough for you. No one is.”

“Not even you?”

“Especially me.”

The weight of my feelings for her threatened to consume me. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

“Asher, what has been going on with you?” She asked. “Your confession at the party took me by surprise. Was that another one of your bets?”

I shook my head so fast I thought it would shoot off like a cannon.

“That bet was stupid.” I said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She folded her arms across her chest.

“That doesn’t make it right.” She said. “It’s as if our entire relationship had been a lie.”