Page 104 of Burning Your Lies

“Every mother must accept she has to let her children go at some point. You’ve survived without me, no?”

“Ha!” Malcolm laughs. “Hardly. Every day we hear her moan until you call and she finds peace in hearing your voice.”

Her eyes narrow. “I’m sure Savannah is the only one that understands, seeing as she is the only other mother in the room.”

She’s right. If Brynn wasn’t sending me pictures and videos of Elise every day, I would have withered with worry. And her new arrangement with Xavier means I can see her more than the two nights I’m entitled to in the week.

“You’ve raised me to be a strong man,” Huxley praises. “You and dad have made me into who I am and for that I am grateful. And I hope the distance I’ve put between us has taught you that you are okay without me. You’ve maintained a strong home. The walls of this home have always welcomed me back with laughter and love. You don’t need me to feel those things.”

Isabella looks at her son like she knows there’s something wrong. Her eyebrows furrow together, but she says nothing. Her worried gaze lands on her husband, who is also studying his son.

It’s Hadley who breaks the tension. “I think we should get him tested because he’s been like this all day.”

Huxley stands and offers me his hand. “We’re off to bed. Goodnight.”

I wave at them before following him up the stairs in silence. That silence stays between us while we get ready for bed until we’re under the sheets. I trace his features. “Hux,” I whisper.

He closes his eyes. “It has to be done.”

My eyes leak the emotions he’s too afraid to show. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

His lips are on mine and he barely kisses me. “Do you love them?”

“I love you more and I can’t ask you to do this.”

He wipes my tears and repeats his question. “Do you love them?”

“How can I not? They’ve been nothing but the best to me. They individually mirror the parts of you I love so incredibly much. That’s why I can’t let you do this.”

Huxley ignores everything I said. “Then make the most of tonight and tomorrow morning because after that, it won’t exist anymore.”

I hold his face. “Please, don’t.”

“We knew what was coming when we started this game.”

“They’re your family,” I plead.

“Huxley Ray doesn’t have any family.” He closes his eyes and, almost like a mantra, whispers, “Huxley Ray is dead.”

46

Savannah

Since returning home, Huxleyhas been distant. Not angrily, but sadly. He hugged each of them tight and hesitated before driving away. He said fewer words than normal, and I knew there was nothing I could say to make it better.

Despite both of us being unemployed, we barely see each other. Huxley has been busy putting together the plan to get Mia and Jordan’s death noticed.

I haven’t heard from Brynn since returning from Huxley’s childhood home. I’m worried that she’s double-crossed me and offered real aid to Xavier now that I practically handed her over to Rowan.Is she telling him every detail of our plan?

My nightmares were reducing, but over the last few nights, Henry has haunted me. I see him begging me to save him, but it always ends the same way with me pulling the trigger. I wake up, struggling to breathe until Huxley coaxes me back to sleep.

But Huxley isn’t here to stop my tears as I read the headline for the online paper.

EXCLUSIVE:

Dead man Henry Pruitt accuses CEO Xavier Rivers

of MURDER from beyond the grave.

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