Page 48 of Broken

“Of course I will.” Lucy looks past me over at Max, who still hasn’t moved. “I’m going to leave you two alone.” She walks out, closing the door softly behind her.

“So all this time.” Max stands up. “You being sick, that wasn’t real? How distant you’ve been is because of this?”

I nod.

“Why didn’t you tell me that day?”

“I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. I was ashamed of the person that I chose to be. I thought you would hate me and honestly I couldn’t take that.” I look at the floor. I knew he’d be disappointed in me. “I was desperate. If I had said no, they wouldn’t have thought twice about killing me. They almost did anyway.”

Max’s hand strokes my cheek. “Hey, I don’t hate you. I get that you were backed into a corner. I also know that you aren’t here to betray us.” His lips press against mine and relief washes through my body. “You have to tell your brother. There isn’t much I can do. You need to go to him and be honest.”

I shake my head, tears still streaming down. “He’ll hate me. I’m a traitor. A rat. A snitch. A—”

“You’re his blood. You were backed into a corner. You didn’t have another choice. He’ll get that. The sooner the better.” Max’s eyes plead with me to listen to him.

“Okay, I’ll tell him tomorrow. Will you take me to your place tonight? I want one more night with you before everything goes to shit.” My fingers dig into his skin. I’m clutching onto him like he is my last hope, and in some ways, I feel like he is.

“Of course.”

I smile at him.

“Fuck, I missed seeing you do that.” He kisses me.

“Do what?” I mumble against his lips.

“Smile. You’ve been gone. I couldn’t figure out why and it was driving me fucking crazy.” He pulls me harder against him. “You aren’t alone anymore, Izzy. You have a family. You have people who want to stand beside you. You’re loved.”

I feel what he’s saying.

Each of his words ripple through me, washing away the uncertainty, the fear, and the regret.