Page 18 of The Marine

My hand drops.

When I open the door for her, Briar turns.

“Listen, Aidan, as painful as it is, it was nice seeing you again. But we both know...” Her voice trails off and I watch her search for the words.

I’m not helping her.

“What do we know, Briar?”

“That what we had was destroyed when...”

Fuck.

I don’t want to hear those words on her lips. Not again. Not one single more time.

“When I killed your father?” I ground out so that she doesn’t have to.

She nods and climbs into the car.

The flicker of hope bursts into flames and burns the inside of my stupid fucking heart.

CHAPTER SIX

BRIAR

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Istand by the kitchencounter and eat my salad. I’m too wound up to sit and eat.

There is no one I can talk to about this.

Mom.

But that’s not happening.

She was the one who started the screaming that day and I’ve never been unable to unhear it.

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