Page 57 of Three to Fall

There were hundreds, if not thousands of them, dating back around a year. And they quickly became an obsession I couldn’t quit.

As I read through each of them, I watched my sister fall in love.

And my heart broke, knowing it was all a lie. That every message she received was one that brought her closer to her death.

Gray rolled over in my bed and propped himself up on one arm, hand beneath this head. “What’s Golden gaslighting her with today?”

I glanced over at him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t. But I’m getting worried about you. Did you even sleep last night or were you up all night reading their texts again?”

I’d slept a little, but it was hard when they were all I could think about. There was just so many of them. Kyle had admitted Alice had borrowed his phone for at least an hour a day, for a very long time, and that she’d had a spot out in the fields, away from prying eyes where she liked to go with it.

Kyle had apologized a thousand times. He’d thought he was being a friend. He was so in love with her, he would have given her anything she’d asked for. Not that he’d admitted that, but it was clear to the rest of us.

I twisted onto my side, facing Gray, Kyle’s phone in my hand between us. “I just need to get through them all so we can go to the police. I know they’ll confiscate the phone as soon as we report this, but I need to read them first.”

He kissed my lips softly. “No one is blaming you for wanting to read them. You have every right. I just don’t want you making yourself sick over them.”

I swallowed hard. “I should have paid more attention to what she was doing.”

He sighed. “You’ve been saying things like that for days. But it wasn’t your job to keep tabs on her.”

“I was so self-centered. Always focused on myself.”

He snaked a hand to the back of my neck and held me tight so I couldn’t look away. “You were fighting for your life. You were imprisoned by a man who beat you, belittled you, and withheld basic needs. You were in survival mode. Nobody is blaming you for what happened to Alice.”

Nobody but me.

Nothing had even changed since I’d left Ethereal Eden. I’d spent more time focused on myself and the danger and drama I seemed to attract, rather than finding the person who’d murdered my sister.

I’d failed her in so many ways.

Reading these texts was agony, each one ripping away a piece of my heart, but it was a pain I deserved for not being the sister she needed when she was alive.

Golden:

Hey, sweetheart. Missed hearing from you this morning. Hurts my heart when I don’t wake up to messages from you on my phone.

Tulip:

I’m so sorry! Had a really busy night. My hands are killing me today after typing all day yesterday. Was working right up until my head hit the pillow. Couldn’t get the phone from Kyle until now. I missed you too. What are you up to today?

Golden:

Who’s Kyle?

Tulip:

A friend. It’s his phone. I told you, we aren’t allowed phones here, so I have to borrow his.

Golden:

You can’t have a phone but he can?

Tulip:

Well, neither of us can, but he’s a rebel like that.

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