Page 84 of Twisted Truths

We’re all quiet for a minute, my brothers staring at me.

Kol says, “What are you going to do about Ariana?”

I give him a what-the-fuck look. “What choice do I have but to pack her things and kick her out?”

“There’s always a choice,” Asher says.

I look at him incredulously. I did not expect him, of all people, to suggest I should give Ariana another chance.

He shrugs. “From what you’ve said, she grew up in a shit situation. We know better than anyone what that’s like and how it can affect you.”

My mood darkens further at the allusion to our father and the hell he put us all through.

“She only did what she did because she was desperate to save her family and herself, Sid. If it were you, you’d do anything in your power to protect the people you love. You have. We all have.”

I stiffen, knowing Asher’s referring to the night our father died. “That doesn’t mean I can forgive her for deceiving me for so long. How do I know what she said she felt for me is real? Maybe it was just a ploy to make it easier to steal shit under my nose.”

Kol shrugs. “Maybe. But you won’t know unless you talk to her.”

“It wasn’t a ploy,” Nero says.

I whip my head in his direction.

“I’ve seen you two together, and there’s no way she was faking that,” Nero adds. “She’s in love with you, Sid.”

Looking away from him, I stare into the amber liquid in my glass.

“I know you think you don’t deserve it, but you do. She looks at you like Rapsody does me, Cinder looks at Nero, and for some reason, the way Anabelle looks at Asher,” Kol says.

“Fuck off,” Asher says. “By some miracle, the universe gifted us each with the perfect woman. Don’t let her slip through your fingers because she was up against the wall and had to do what she had to do for her family. I’m not saying you don’t question her about it, and it might take time, but you guys can get past this. We’d do just about anything for our family, right?”

“If I know you, you’ve been waiting for the shit to hit the fan since you realized you were in love with her.” Kol gives me a look daring me to say he’s wrong.

But I can’t. I was so happy with her, but that feeling of dread still seeped in, telling me it would all end soon enough. That our time would come to an end. That I’d never be able to keep something so good in my life.

“How did you forgive Cinder when you found out she lied to you about Maude?” I ask Nero.

He shrugs. “It was easy. When her life was in danger, it became clear to me that I still loved her. I would’ve done anything to save her. Anything. That right there told me what I needed to know.”

“When you saw that Uma had a gun on Ariana, how did you feel, Sid?” Kol asks.

I sigh into my glass. “Like my life would be over if hers was.”

“That’s your answer,” Kol says in a grave voice.

“It’s just a choice, Sid. It’s a decision to forgive her, then you move on,” Nero adds.

I suck in a breath and toss back the rest of my drink. Could it really be that easy? Just decide to forgive Ariana and start fresh?

“I’ll think about it,” I mutter, setting my empty glass on the coffee table and standing to leave.

I need to be by myself to think, and I know exactly where I’m going to do it—the secret garden.

Chapter

Thirty-Six

ARIANA

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