Page 48 of Shattered Echoes

"It's none of your business who I choose to be with!" I manage, my voice rising. "You don't get to judge me, or Antonio."

Henry barks out a harsh laugh, running an agitated hand through his disheveled hair. "Like hell I don't get to judge. I'm your brother, Colette. It's my job to protect you, to keep you from making stupid mistakes like falling into bed with an addict who can't get his shit together!"

Something inside me snaps at his cruel characterization of Antonio. I stride forward, closing the distance between us until we're nose to nose.

"How dare you talk about him like that?" I seethe, controlled fury making my words tremble. "You do not know what he's been through, what he's overcome."

Henry scoffs, shaking his head as he levels me with a look of pure disgust. "Are you even listening to yourself? He's got you so twisted around his finger that you can't even see the truth. That guy is bad news, sis. Mark my words, he's going to end up hurting you again."

I frown with irritation. “You said this to him? Did you say all this to him?” He looks away, still indignant, but I can see his shame from his posture. He can’t meet my eyes, and I feel myself boil with anger.

“Are you fucking serious right now? How could you be so stupid and insensitive? You’ve known him your whole life. How can you throw his demons in his face like that?”

“It needed to be said. Someone had to let him know how much of a mess he’s become.”

“And that person just had to be you… Didn’t it?” I feel like ripping him to pieces. Explains why Antonio wouldn’t talk to me earlier. A thought crosses my mind, and I approach Henry. “Tell me. Why did he come here? What caused your argument?”

Henry glances up at me and then looks away again. He shifts, biting his lower lip just the way he used to when we were kids. “That’s not important. I want to know when this thing with Antonio started.”

“Like hell it isn’t. What caused your fight? What was that argument about? And don’t you dare lie to me, Henry!”

He settles into the chair closest to him, his face still twisted in guilt. The silence between us stretches, and I can’t help but wonder what is making him so uncomfortable. Something must have happened for him to turn on his friend as violently as he did. The question is, what? Antonio came here for a reason. Whatever it is, it must be something horrible if it resulted in the two of them fighting afterwards.

“He came here to tell you about us, didn’t he?” I spit. “And in response, you painted him as public enemy number one.”

“No… That wasn’t it at all. I found out about you two on my own.”

“Then what the fuck happened?” I yell. “Where did this come from?”

He sighs and covers his face with his hands. “If he knows, then it’s only a matter of time before you find out. Might as well tell you myself, and you understand why I did what I did. I fucked up, Col. Big time.”

“What did you do?” I ask. “What could you have done to get us to this point?”

“I did something wrong, and Antonio found out about it at the party yesterday,” he says. “He came here this morning to confront me about it. Col, I need you to believe me. I did not know how bad he was… If I’d known, I’d never have done it.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

He looks up at me with guilt-stricken eyes. “Your marriage wasn’t just Dad’s fault. I made a mistake back then… It cost us a lot of money, and…cutting a deal with Ricardo’s family would give back twice the amount. It was the only way I could fix my mistake. He made sure that I made you do it…or he was going to remove me as heir.

“You need to understand. I didn’t know the type of monster he was. He hid that part well enough from all of us. I never knew how fucked up the situation was. I thought he was an okay enough guy. Antonio found out and confronted me about it. He accused me of selling you off into a nightmare. Things kinda spiraled downwards after that, and we both said some very fucked up things to each other.”

I can’t believe my ears. I can hear the words he’s saying, but my brain is struggling to process meaning those words. It feels like an eternity before I can understand Henry’s revelation, and when I do, I feel something snap inside me.

“All this time… I always wondered why you were so insistent on me marrying him,” I say in a cold, angry voice. “I’ve made a million excuses for you. I mean, how could you have known? And now, I realize one thing. Even if you had known who he was, you would have still pushed me to marry him.”

“No, Col—”

“Fuck you. You stand here and talk shit about Antonio, telling me all the things he could do to me. But I guarantee you, he would never betray me like this.”

Pain and anger war inside me, an angry tempest that threatens to pull everything down in its path. I can’t fathom the depth of the betrayal. Sold by my family.

I lose every desire to talk to Henry and turn to leave. He rushes out of his seat and grabs my arm. “Col, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never wanted— "

"Don't touch me!" I jerk away from his outstretched hands, hugging my arms around myself as if to shield my body from his apologies and regrets. He recoils as if I've struck him.

Hot tears of rage prick at the corners of my eyes as I struggle to keep my composure. "I don't want to hear it, Henry," I choke out, my voice hoarse and thick with tears. "Not now. Never again."

Pivoting on my heel, I make my way toward the door, stumbling through a haze of hurt and rage and betrayal. I can't bear to spend another second in his presence.

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