Page 64 of Where the Darkness Goes

“If it was, he never told me about it.”

I rest my forehead on my knees, clicking my tongue as my mind struggles to make sense of this mess. “There has to be something else. It’s too much of a coincidence.”

“I don’t know. Maybe someone saw us steal the jewelry and wanted to frame us.”

“But then why didn’t they? Nothing ever came out to connect you two to Cassidy. It was always Cory.” Anger flashes in me. “And my mom.” Without warning, the memory of the photos in Will’s nightstand come racing back.

“What is it?” Garrett reads my expression.

“Right after Cassidy was killed, I found these pictures in Will’s nightstand of the girls who had died, including Cassidy.When I asked him about them, he got really mad, and that was when we went through that whole period where we weren’t speaking. When you…”

He gives the world’s smallest nod. “Broke up with you, yeah.”

“Was it because of the pictures? Did you know about them?”

“I told you. It was because I was going away, and Will was dealing with some stuff, and it was all too much?—”

“You keep saying that, but you’re really saying nothing.”

“I’m not. It’s the truth.”

“How would I even know what the truth is? After all, you’ve clearly gotten good at lying to me over the years.” Anger swells in me suddenly.How could they do this? How could they lie? What else have they done?

“That’s not fair. It wasn’t really my secret, and it killed me to keep it from you. I was the one who decided to tell you now because of Britney.”

“Well, how noble of you.” I charge out of bed, whipping the covers off and wrapping them around myself as I stalk across the room.

“Tessa, wait?—”

“No, you wait!” I shout back, stopping in my tracks. I whip around and point a trembling finger at him. “You lied to me for years. My brother lied to me for years. And my mom went through hell for it. And for all I know, you’re still lying.”

“I’m sorry,” he says softly. “I’m sorry I lied. I’m sorry we hurt you. I’m sorry Frannie was ever in the middle of it.”

I turn to face the door, catching his eye in the mirror on the wall. “You should’ve told me last night. Before we…”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“There’s nothing else to say right now.” I pull open the bedroom door and shut myself in my room, dropping down on the bed. My entire reality has shifted, and I don’t know how to right it.

Why would they lie to me? How can I ever trust either of them again? What other lies might there be? More than that, more than anything else, there’s a single question pulsing in my mind:Why did Will steal the jewelry in the first place?

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

GARRETT — PRESENT DAY

Once again, I’m torn between my best friend and the woman I love. Will would never be okay with me telling Tessa about the jewelry or any of the rest of it, but I had to.

I’m sick of lying to her. I’m sick of other people’s drama being the thing that keeps my heart broken. I could handle it when I thought it was just me. When I thought she was happy.

But I’ve seen how unhappy she is. I’ve seen how she lights up when we’re together, how she must wonder, how she must hate me for everything I’ve done—most of which she still doesn’t have an explanation for.

Will is on his way home right now, and when he gets here, I’m going to ask that he tell her everything. I’m going to demand it in fact. And if he won’t, I will.

I love him. He’s a best friend and a brother to me. I would andhavegone to lengths to protect him beyond what I could previously fathom. I’ve stood by his side and chosen him time and time again, but enough is enough.

Out of bed, I dress quickly and find Tessa sitting in the living room on the couch, leaning forward over her knees, hands folded together atop her legs. She’s staring into space,processing, and I’ll give her as much time as she needs to do just that.

“You have cookies from Overflow.” Her matter-of-fact tone slices through me. She’s hurting, and it’s my fault.

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