Page 223 of Fighting the Forbidden

Pain slices through my heart, and I double over. A deep, ragged sob tears out of my throat. Blindly, I thrust my hand forward, searching for the railing. Tears scald my eyes and trail over my cheeks.

My Griff. My first love. The man I’d thought would be my only love. My forever.

How could he do this to us?

“Molly.” Remy’s solid voice offers no comfort—only more pain. He’ll take his best friend’s side. Tell me to get over it. Or that we shouldn’t have been together in the first place. I’m too young for Griff. We’re too different.

I hate that maybe Remy’s right.

I sniffle and stand straight but still cling to the railing, too embarrassed to turn around and face my brother.

“Molly.” He rests his hand on my shoulder and turns me to face him. I duck my head and curse the tears rolling down my cheeks.

He wraps his arms around me, pulling me close into his solid, protective embrace. “I’m so sorry,” he rasps.

“Why?” My voice cracks, and I sob even harder. “Why would he do that?”

Remy’s body stiffens for a moment, but he keeps hugging me. “I don’t know. But everything’s going to be okay, Molly. I promise.”

“Nothing will ever be okay again.”

“Shh,” he soothes, running his hand over my hair and down my back. “Yes, it will.”

“How?” I cry.

“Because when I get my hands on him, I’m going to murder him for doing this to you,” Remy swears.

“W-what?” I stutter and pull away from Remy. “You don’t mean that. He’s your best friend.”

“Oh, yes I do.” Murderous intent shines in my brother’s eyes. “I fucking warned him if he pulled something like this what would happen.”

“Something…like this? How could you predict he’d cheat on me on national television?”

“I meant cheat on you in general. Or hurt you in any way.”

“Wait, what?” My voice rises into screaming range. “You talked to him about cheating on me?”

“No. When he told me his intention to date you, I warned him if he ever hurt you, I’d hurt him.”

Any other night, under any other circumstances, I might find that sweet. But right now, my anger and heartbreak execute a swift detour and aim at the man in front of me. “That’s humiliating.” I lift my arms to shove him, but he catches my hands mid-air. “Why can’t you mind your own business?”

“You are my business.” He grips my shoulders and shakes me. “Like it or not, you’ll always be my business, Molly. Someone hurts you, they hurt me. And no one gets away with that unpunished.” His voice breaks, and he shakes his head. “Not even him.”

“You’re insane.” I jerk out of his hold and step around him, then barge into the house.

Hayden rushes to meet me in the foyer. “Are you okay?”

“No.”

She focuses on the door like she’s planning her escape. Can’t say I blame her. “The teasers for next week…just look like they all discuss ‘the aftermath.’ Griff says to the camera he ‘doesn’t know what to tell Molly.’” She screws her face into a furious scowl. “What a load of crap.”

“Aftermath.” I let out a pathetic laugh that sounds like a sob. “Yeah, can’t wait for whatever he has to tell me.”

“Don’t answer the phone.”

Why’d I agree to have everyone over to watch this again? So there’d be witnesses to my humiliation? It’s been a shitshow from the first episode. How could I think it’d get any better?

Thank God school’s over. I can’t imagine trying to walk through the hallways and look at my classmates after this.

---