Page 105 of Burning Your Lies

The video of Henry we spliced blurs as tears brim in my eyes. My legs jitter as I try to hold myself together. His brown eyes hold so much emotion as he talks about Elizabeth. I watched this video at least twenty times to make sure it was perfect before we sent it off. But I never held back sobs as I am right now.

Unable to take it anymore, I lock the screen and throw the phone into the space next to me. I lean my head against the headboard and let out a cry. My chest tightens the louder I cry no matter how hard I press against it.

Many have lost for my chance to win against him. Guilt tightens its grip around my throat, suffocating me, as we bid farewell to Huxley’s family. Isabella’s concerned eyes bore into me, silently questioning the truth.How was I supposed to tell her she would never see her son alive again?Huxley’s love for his family surpasses what words can express. And he’s sacrificed it for me. The chance for Henry’s children to mend their relationship with him was stolen from them.

“What have I done?” I ask to the empty house. “I can’t do this. How do I make it stop?”

Climbing off the bed, I walk to the closet and open the door. Pushing all the clothes aside, I stare at the board. It wasn’t long ago I stood in this spot with confidence that I was going to win this game without compromising my integrity.

Stepping up to it, I stare at Henry’s picture before unpinning it. I look at Mia and Jordan’s picture before doing the same. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I am so sorry.” I press the pictures against my heart and grieve for the lives I took. It doesn’t matter who pulled the trigger; I did this when I started this game.

“Elliot, how do I stop this addiction? I can’t step away from the table.” I struggle to breathe as I stand there and cry at his image. “Why didn’t I believe you?” I remove his picture from the board too.

Placing those down, I stand eye-to-eye with the one person who would know exactly what to do. In this image, her dark eyes look light and full of life. I smile, knowing it’s because it was the day we got a positive pregnancy test. I was the one that snapped the picture of her.And then I slept with her husband.

“Emery. Help me,” I beg. “What do I do? You were the only one who ever outsmarted him.” My fingers brush over her smile. “Tell me what to do. Please. I can’t just walk away.” I shake my head. “Not without Elise. And for as long as he is alive, he will continue to do the same. He will never let me be free.”

Taking her picture with me, I back away until I collapse onto the armchair. I pull my knees to my chest and give myself an undeserving moment to just breathe. When I open my eyes, my broken mind conjures up an image of Emery.

She’s dressed immaculately. Her beige dress is fitted perfectly against her form while remaining modest. Every strand of her hair is elegantly curled and framing her face. Her makeup is barely there, yet extenuates her features well. Her wedding ring that blinded me when we first met sits comfortably on her manicured finger.

“Oh, Savannah.” She shakes her head at me. “You look unwell. Perhaps a drink of something strong will sort you out. I did love my red wine.”

“Help me,” I cry. “I don’t know how to win without losing myself.”

Her doe eyes narrow at me. “Get a grip on yourself. You cannot afford to be weak in the final hour.”

“That night – the one where you found out about the affair – you beat him. You outsmarted him. How do I do that?”

“Men like my husband always win. Why is that?” She watches me as I struggle to come up with an answer. “Come on, Savannah!” she snaps. “You know the answer. You’ve already said it once.”

But I can’t think straight. The weight of the past two years has taken away my ability to breathe. “I’m sorry. If I knew what he was capable of … if I knew he would kill you, I never would have welcomed the affair.”

She takes sympathy on my weakness. “You cannot stop yourself from falling for men like Xavier. Why is that, Savannah? How did he win your heart?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

Her hands curl into fists. “Yes, you do! Snap the hell out of it. I trusted you to look after my daughter. What do you need to do?”

My cries stop long enough for me to shoot daggers at her. “Tell me! How do I protect her? I’ve tried, Emery! But…” My head falls back as I cry.

Emery's smile is knowing. “But what?”

“He’s always one step ahead. He’s always got the perfect plan in place.”

She wears a proud expression. “And how can you use that against him?”

“Throw him off his game.”

“How?”

“I don’t know! I’ve tried! I killed a man, and he still left that station as a free man!”

She slowly stands up and walks until she is staring down at me. “Think, Savannah! You asked how I beat him that night? What did I do? I forced his hand, and he made a mistake. What did I take from him?”

I replay the events of that night. I skip through meeting Huxley’s family, his initial rejection, Xavier giving me the necklace, Emery asking me about the affair, the panic and finally following her up to her secret room.

“You got his attention by turning the cameras off.”

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