Page 50 of The Betrayal You Serve

Iignore the banging on my door, assuming that it's just one of the guys who are trying their luck again.

They attempted to convince me to come out for dinner, and then again an hour later for a drink with them, but each time I've refused, telling them that I have too much to do.

It's not a lie. After the start to the semester I've had, I'm behind before I've even started. I've got deadlines approaching and I'm not even close to having any of my assignments ready to hand in.

Sitting there with music playing, surrounded by textbooks and class notes is the exact distraction I need.

I can push Kane and Luca from my mind for a few hours and just lose myself in work, in my own words.

It's a welcome relief. And one I don't want distracting from now that I've found it.

"Go away," I call when whoever it is won't go away.

"Letty, let me in. Please," a familiar voice begs.

Anyone else and I would have held strong but there's something about the tone in Leon's voice that forces me to climb from my bed and flick the lock to let him in.

"Lee, what's wro—" My words are cut off the second he walks in and pulls me into his body. "What the hell?" I ask, although my words are muffled against his chest as he holds me tightly.

He must kick my door shut behind him because the sound of it closing fills my ears as he remains motionless holding me.

"Lee, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry, Let. I'm so fucking sorry."

"Why? What have you—" He lets me pull back and it's not until I look into his eyes that reality slams into me. "He told you?" I sigh.

"He didn't mean to, it kinda slipped out."

"What were you even doing talking to him?" I ask, walking back to my bed and clearing a space so we can sit. "I thought you hated him."

"He's not my favorite person no, but…"

"But?" I ask when he trails off and comes to sit down beside me.

"He's important to you and—" I can't help but burst out laughing, cutting off what he was going to say.

"Important. Yeah, so important he's been fucking around."

Leon looks at me and raises a brow before dropping his eyes down my body.

"Yeah, alright. I haven’t forgotten."

"Of course you haven't," he says with a smirk and a wink.

"You did not just—fucking hell, Lee."

"Sorry, sorry. Couldn't help myself."

Silence falls between us and I scoot back until I'm resting against the wall with my knees pulled up in front of me.

"I wish you'd have told me, Let. You could have called me, turned up at my door, anything. I'd have been there no matter what, you know that, right?"

He looks over his shoulder, his concerned green eyes capturing mine as they fill with tears.

"I do, I do know that. Trust me, I didn't call because I didn't think you wouldn’t be. I just… I thought I could get through it and move on as if it never happened."

"Let, you lost a—"