Page 111 of The Destruction You Desire

"Lib, I've never been that."

"True. I haven’t forgotten that day I burst into your room to find his white ass up in the air as he railed you."

"Are you two about done?" Luca asks.

"We'll finish this when we're alone," Libby says with a wink and a laugh that fills me with hope for what her future might hold. I know she's in pain, not from her overdose but from her withdrawals, I can see it in her eyes, but she's fighting it, and I can only hope that continues. "For now, just tell me what bitch I need to cut for laying a hand on you."

"It doesn't matter, Lib. It's done."

Luca tenses beneath me, I have no idea if that's because he was about to confess or if it's just the reminder of what we've both been through today.

Her eyes narrow on me as if she'll be able to read the answer in mine. "I will find out."

"Libby, can I ask you something?" Luca suddenly says.

"Uh… yeah, sure," she says, looking between the two of us with apprehension.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but—"

"But?"

"Do you know if… if Brett—" A viable shudder rips through my sister at the sound of his name. "D-do you know if he spent time with other girls?"

Libby's jaw pops, her fingers curling around the sheets that are draped over her lap. "Was he fucking any other underaged idiots, you mean?"

"You're not an idiot, Libby," Luca says softly. "I know better than anyone just how far that cunt will go to get what he wants." His grip on me tightens and I snuggle into him.

"It was him, wasn't it? He hit you."

"Was there anyone else, Lib?" I ask, diverting away from her question once more. Although from the darkness in her eyes, she hears my unspoken answer loud and clear.

"Not that I was ever aware of. But I'm not naïve enough to think that I will have been the only one he played to get his rocks off. Why?"

"We assumed there were more. But he said something, something that made us wonder if he singled you out on purpose."

"So I was special then," she deadpans with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Libby."

"It's not on you, Luc."

"Maybe not, but he did it for my fucking benefit didn't he?" Libby's brow creases and we explain to her what he said tonight.

"He really thought that Peyton would stand in your way?"

"Women get in the way. They're a distraction. Only worth having around as a plaything."

Libby's head rears back, her eyes widening, but I know exactly what Luca's doing, he's repeating all the bullshit he's been forced to listen to over the years.

"That's bullshit," Libby spits.

"I know. But nonetheless, it's what I grew up hearing. He didn't want us together. He thought it would stop me from following his dreams."

"And he knew I was impressionable. But he couldn't have known that you'd turn your back on Peyton."

"No, but the benefits clearly outweighed the risk."

All the blood drains from Libby's face. "That cunt needs to die."