Page 88 of Pretty Heartache

An audible gasp passes Adeline’s mouth. “How could you?” she asks him, her mouth gaped in horror. “Why would you think that was a good idea?”

“I don’t know,” Archer says, guilt clear across his face. “Maybe part of me thought his father’s reputation in the drug world would help keep them off my back. Or… I don’t know, maybe I’m a fucking coward.”

“So, you just let Micah take the fall?” she yells.

“You have no place to judge me, Adeline,” he argues, clearly frustrated this is how his visit here is turning out, but I’m thankful the truth is finally being ripped open and exposed. I didn’t realize how suffocated I’d become from keepingeveryone’s secrets. “I’m not saying what I did was right, but I panicked. Micah was never a part of it.”

“Stop,” she says, closing her eyes, not wanting to listen to another word. She finally turns and looks at me. “Why would you lie for him?” Tears stream down her face. I want to stick my hand out and wipe every single one away. “Why would you go to prison for them? Why didn’t you tell the police the truth?”

“I thought I was protecting Archer. I thought I was protecting Lachlan.” My voice is shaky and weak, knowing how foolish my decision ended up being. “I thought I was protectingyou.”

A sob rattles Adeline’s body as the truth settles inside her.

“I didn’t know then,” I explain. “I didn’t know how protecting your father only brought you more suffering. If I had, I wouldn’t have made the same choice.”

There it is. The truth. I’d taken the fall for the Mayfield family, believing I was protecting all of them. “The Mayfield family going down for drug trafficking would have been devastating. A Harding going down for drug possession would be history repeating itself.”

Adeline’s heart seems to break in front of me. Her eyes turn down, as well as her mouth, and her chin trembles. “Micah...” A shaky breath passes her lips, and I know this is the moment I know I’m in love with her. I want to gather up every moment she ever felt less than or felt betrayed by those she trusted and shield her from them.

“How did you going to prison affect Adeline?” Archer asks, his brows slanted. “What do you mean by suffering?”

Adeline’s tears stain her cheeks as she looks at her brother. “You have no idea what life was like living at home, Archer. You have no idea what it feels like to live in the nothingness, to exist in the shadows. To be neglected and overlooked. Then when you are given attention by the ones who are supposed to love you, you’re constantly told you’re a waste of space and oxygen.”

“Addy,” Archer says, wide-eyed. “I had no idea. If I did, I would have…” He’s looking at his sister with pity and regret.

“Don’t. I know you didn’t know what was going on.” She swallows. “I don’t want your pity. I’ve had enough of it. I’m telling you this because, yes, I should have told you what was going on. Maybe it would have made a difference, maybe it wouldn’t. It isn’t your fault for not assuming what was going on. You didn’t have any reason to believe that I wasn’t okay. You had no reason to believe I wasn’t living with the same loving parents you’d experienced. I did what I could to survive, and I got out of there as soon as I could. But when I got to Los Angeles, I ended up in the arms of someone just like Dad. He made the promise to love me, but in the end, he hurt me. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I came back. I left my entire life and career behind. I had to because I knew what would have happened if I’d stayed.”

“I’m sorry you were with someone who hurt you, and I’m glad you were brave enough to leave him, but it wasn’t all sunshine and roses for me at home, either, Addy.” Archer sighs. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. While I may not have dealt with the same issues, Dad always looked at me like I was one step or one breath away from disappointment. I guess since the day I was able to leave, I never looked back and never thought to make sure you were okay.”

Silence inflates the air while the three of us stand among the truth. It’s heavy and weighted, crushing us all.

Adeline swallows as she sheds quiet tears. “There’s no point in living in the past.” She finally breaks the silence. “But I don’t understand how you could let your best friend spend two years in prison for you. And now...” She hiccups on one of her cries. “And now you’re worried about this Soren person coming after us?”

“Soren shouldn’t be a problem anymore.” Archer clears his throat, but he doesn’t sound convincing. “I wouldn’t be here if I thought he posed a threat to you or Micah.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” I tell him. It hurts to say, but it’s true. If Soren is still a threat, I don’t want Archer to give him any reason to make me or Adeline a target. My need to protect Adeline comes in at full force. “You need to leave until you’re certain Soren can’t hurt any of us. You shouldn’t have come.”

Archer opens his mouth to object, but instead snaps it shut. He knows there’s nothing he can say that will make this right. He also knowsI’mright.

“I’m sorry,” he says to Adeline. For the first time in all the years I’ve known Archer, tears line his eyes. “I’m sorry for all of it, and I’ll make it right.”

“I hope so.” She holds her breath.

Archer trades glances between us and then without another word, he walks out the room, leaving behind his sister, his best friend, and the truth.

TWENTY-THREE

The truth will set you free.

I’ve heard the saying time and time again, but I mull over the words now, dissecting them, wondering if they’re true. Do I feel set free? Or is the weight of the truth too overwhelming?

I realize I haven’t taken a breath when I feel Micah’s hands on me. He moves to stand in front of me, breaking my attention away from the front door, where I saw my brother disappear seconds ago.

Micah’s hands wrap hold of my face, grounding me. I gasp, allowing a sharp breath of air into my lungs when I look at him.

“Are you okay, Addy?”

His words echo in my ears, but all I hear is the rushing sound of water, the sound flooding my ears, protecting me from the outside world. The burn from holding my breath permeates my lungs.

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