Page 125 of A Lethal Game of Trust

I pushed him away but kept my grip on his shirt. “If you want me to tell you I love you right now, I can’t. I won’t.”

He shook his head. “No—”

“I bloody knew it!” came a cry from the aisle between the two galleries. Our heads both turned to see Issy storming through the paintings, a glass of champagne held tight in her fist. “I didn’t need Mia turning up here because I already knew.”

By impulse, I stood between the siblings, protecting Dom. If I knew anything about Issy, it was that the champagne was about to be chucked over someone.

“Now really is not the time,” Dom groaned, his voice lowand threatening. “We’ll deal with your drama later.”

“Mydrama?” she screeched, her nostrils flaring. “Oh, I’m the problem here? You two have had a secret relationship for weeks!”

“And what?” I snapped, done with this night, with this shit. “You wanted all the gory details? You wanted me to tell you all about it before either of us knew if it was serious or not?”

“I want it to stop!” She paused, eyes flickering between us, her expression becoming wary. “Is it serious?”

Dom looked down at me, waiting for me to respond. The ball was in my court.

“It’s serious,” I insisted. “You might not like it, you might hate me for it, but—”

She glared at me. “I asked for one thing. Youpromisedme. You pinky fucking promised! I asked the two of you to your faces multiple times. When it ends and it all blows up in your faces, don’t come fucking crying to me.”

Hadn’t it already?

She turned on her heel and started to walk away, her every step rigid with anger.

“Issy!” I shouted, already taking off after her. After everything tonight, I needed my friend. She was the only person I truly had. I had known the risks, but now, facing them…

I trusted no one. But her and Roc.

Her hair whipped me in the face as she spun around to look me up and down with disgust. The look Dom used to give me. They were so similar with that expression on their faces. “Why him, Leo? You could have anyone. Bloody Sam Yun, Jack… you could have had them, but not him.Not him.”

This was my time to declare that we were meant to be. Hewas my entire life and future. But I didn’t know if that was true any more.

“He’s a broken, emotionless mess. He won’t be good for you, Leonie. He won’t change for you. Please don’t delude yourself into thinking you can make him a better person.”

“I don’t want to.”

She snorted, putting her drink down on one of the small tables. “Well, now I know you’re lying. We got out. You want back in to be with him? You could pick anyone. You could pick someone normal who would love you right.”

“I will pickhimevery time. Over anyone.”

Every time. Over anyone.

“Over me,” she stated. “You’ll pick dick over me. My best friend, my goddamnsisterrailing mybrother.”

“It’s not—”

“Oh,” she laughed cruelly, throwing her head back, “so you went on cutesy dates before the two of you started fucking? You admitted your love for each other? Bullshit. You’re so broken inside the two of you that any form of love would come out twisted and shattered.”

All my breath left my lungs.

She shook her head and her eyes caught on something behind me. Her lips thinned and she nodded in the direction of her brother. “I hope the two of you are very happy.”

With that, she continued to strut away, snatching her glass as she went.

Dom hovered a metre behind me, his arms awkwardly poised as if ready to reach out.

And I fell into them. He held me so tight I was breathless. “I wish you’d told me,” I muttered. “I wish it had come from you.”