Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
A tear breaks forth and rolls down her cheeks. “All this time, all these years, all this pain, and you knew two of the biggest secrets of my world. You knew them and you didn’t share them with me. You didn’t even try to share them with me. We are supposed to trust each other, supposed to love each other. I understand King, I do. I know you were doing what you had to, to keep the club safe, but Cova? I will never understand why you didn’t share that with me. Not ever.”
“You weren’t about to share it with me, Briella,” I tell her. “You were keepin’ the same secret.”
“Because I was instructed to do so by King. Were you instructed not to tell me?”
I go quiet, because fuck, I wasn’t. I wasn’t instructed. I could have told her. Could have, at any point, sat her down and told her. But the idea of losing her if she went looking and got killed meant more to me than letting her know. I see now that was the wrong choice, but I don’t know how to fucking take that back.
“I’m sorry, Briella. Whatever I did, I did because I love you and nothin’ more.”
She shakes her head. “This isn’t love, Alarick. It’s possession. It’s control. If you love me, you would have told me. You would have shared that with me. There is no possible explanation as to why you wouldn’t talk to me about something so huge in my life, especially when I lost my sister and my mother.”
“I didn’t want you to go through the fuckin’ pain of findin’ out you have another sister, only to find out she could be dead. Didn’t think you could handle that. I didn’t want to bring any more pain into your world, Briella.”
“That wasn’t your call to make,” she whispers, and the tears flow harder down her cheeks.
I step toward her, but she puts a hand up. “I need time, Alarick. My whole world is in such chaos, I can’t think straight. The one person I am supposed to rely on, has kept so much from me.”
“I can’t fuckin’ take that back ...”
“I know you can’t, but the damage, it’s done.”
“What does this mean for us?”
“It means, I don’t know ... I just don’t know.”
With that, she turns and disappears inside.
I feel like my heart is being ripped from my chest.
Fuck this.
Fuck everything.
Fuck King.
Fuck Dax.
Fuck the lies, and fuck the god damned truth.
Fuck it all.
11
BRIELLA
My heart feels like it’s slowly ripping apart.
Piece by piece.
Little by little.
It feels like every part of me is fading away until I can’t feel anything at all—I’m completely numb.
My life.
My world.
It’s all upturned and in utter chaos.
How am I supposed to get through this?
Alarick and I just had the biggest fight we’ve probably ever had. I don’t know what to do. My heart belongs to him, but to know all this time he has known about my sister and never told me, that’s soul crushing. It makes me feel like I will never get through, like no matter what I do, I’ll never be able to trust him again. A love without trust, is a pointless love.
He has kept so much from me.
So damned much.
Right now, I’m so angry and so hurt, that I can’t even look at him.
I can’t think straight.
Then there’s Karen, my friend, someone I trusted.
I know why she went to Alarick; I know she was worried about me, and I know she was confused and wouldn’t have meant to hurt me, but she did hurt me. Without her, without that friendship, I’m left with nothing. Who can I talk to if the one person I trust doesn’t keep my secrets?
I just can’t do this right now.
I need someone to talk to, someone to confide in, and I don’t have anyone. No mother. No sister. No family.
I feel sorry for myself right now, that much is true, but it’s hard not to when you’re in crisis mode and you don’t have a single soul that you can just sit down with and cry until your heart feels just a little better.
I need someone.
My phone rings, and I stare down to see Waverly’s number flashing across the screen. We’re becoming good friends, and I’m glad for it.
“Hey,” I say, answering the phone and swiping my eyes where the tears are still fresh.
“Hey, girl, are you okay? You sound like you’re crying?”
“Yeah, I’m just having a hard time right now. How are you?”
“I’m okay, I was wondering why you haven’t been at the club the last few days. Judging by the mood Alarick is in, I’m guessing you two are having issues?”
“Something like that, I don’t know when I’ll be back there. I have some things to sort out here and I just need some space.”