Page 103 of Always Right

“No. It wasn’t. But you knew that already, didn’t you?”

There it is.

I’d held on to hope...wishing for a different reaction but instead, Blake’s face drained of all color and his usually bright eyes, dulled.

And so the thread that barely held me together began to unravel. The room shrunk and the walls collapsed on me.

There was still time for a denial.

The room remained eerily quiet as I waited...gauging his reaction...hoping for a different outcome.

But it didn’t come.

Blake held my gaze as shame covered his features.

“You know.”

The two words hit me like a tidal wave. My blood boiled and my poor fucking heart pounded against my chest, causing the ringing in my ears to intensify.

You know.

I swung at him, the palm of my hand making contact with his face loud enough that it left a stinging sensation behind but he didn’t even flinch. He saw it coming...he accepted it. Perhaps that’s what infuriated the most, the way he knew he had fucked up and he still had the courage to stand in front of me. He didn’t even try to deny it.

Like our friendship wasn’t even worth salvaging.

Unshed tears burned my eyes, tears I wasn’t sure I could fight for much longer.

“You son of a bitch.” The words were but a mere whisper on my lips. “How could you hold me as I cried, see my anxiety and pretend you knew nothing? How could you break into the gallery? How could you fucking hurt me like this?”

I saw his Adam's apple move and he finally looked away from me, to the door. He wouldn’t make a run for it, but I knew he wanted to leave. I could feel the thickness in the air, how hard it had become to breathe.

“I have done nothing to you. I have never hurt you. You didn’t even know the person I was then...so why, Blake? What did I do to you to deserve this?”

Oh, I couldn’t hold them back anymore. I hated myself for being so damn weak but his betrayal hurt. The blindfold had come off and I wasn’t prepared to see the truth. Blake cleared his throat, unable to look me in the eyes anymore.

I hoped he never could again.

I hoped the shame and regret ate him alive...that he would always remember the pain he’d so needlessly caused.

“Answer me.” I shoved his chest with my hand, but he didn’t move, instead returning his gaze to mine.

“I don’t know.” He finally answered, his blue eyes turning to ice. “I needed money and Eugene approached me and at the time it seemed easy enough to say yes. Before I knew it I was buried neck deep and couldn’t get out.”

Easy.

Easy to make the choice.

Easy to turn on me and betray our friendship.

"How much was our friendship worth?" I asked. Blake winced at the question, his hands balling into fists at his sides. “Answer me, at least fucking answer me.”

“Does it matter, Hannah?” Oh, the world around me collapsed because of him and he couldn’t even bother to explain. It didn’t matter to him. “The way I see it, the outcome is the same.”

My tears spilled. He had single-handedly destroyed my world and who I thought belonged in it.

"My daughters are my reason to live, Blake, but you...you kept me alive." The ice in his eyes melted, his expression softening as the words spilled out of my mouth with ease. “Was it you? At Derek’s restaurant? Was it you that took the money?”

He didn’t speak.

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