Page 126 of He Loves Me Knot

“What?” Elle’s voice was sharp. She gave Callum an accusing glare. “What the fuck?”

Quinn cringed and set a hand on Elle’s forearm. “Maybe we should go down to the beach.”

Thank you.

“And let them both just get out of the tangled knot of lies they’ve been telling?” Elle looked like she was halfway between bursting into tears and throwing punches. Hopefully people would assume it was just about the dress, for now, if they’d overheard that bit.

Quinn set his arm around her. “I think we should hear them out. Preferably in a place that doesn’t involve everyone else around us. I’m not thrilled with these revelations”—he gave Callum a hard look—“but I don’t want to introduce any unnecessary drama to our wedding either.”

Elle clenched her jaw, then nodded. Without waiting for any of them, she stormed down the beach, away from the people at the pool.

“You’d better have a really good reason for all this,” Quinn said to Callum angrily, then followed Elle.

Callum reached for Liddy’s hand. She looked miserable. “It’ll be all right.” He squeezed her hand but didn’t let go.She deserves my full support.She hadn’t gotten into this mess on her own. He wasn’t going to leave her feeling alone.

“That’s easy enough for you to say,” Liddy muttered, her stress visible in her expression and the rigidity of her movements as she walked away from the pool area. “Youwantedto lie to your family. I didn’t.”

Harsh—but also true.

When had he grown so comfortable with deceiving the people he cared about?

Maybe it had happened in degrees.

Quinn was quietly comforting Elle as they approached them on the beach. Elle, who’d turned away from them, looked over and her gaze settled on Liddy and Callum’s joined hands. “I thought you two were just pretending.”

Liddy dropped his hand, as though stricken.

“Elle, look. I’m sorry.” She swiped a few tears away. “I really am. I didn’t want to lie. I just—I was so worried about you because you were so stressed, and then when I lost the dress, I didn’t want to give you more to worry about.”

“But why pretend you were dating?” Elle crossed her arms. “That’s the part I don’t get. What does one thing have to do with the other?”

“It’s my fault.” Callum wished so badly he could shield Liddy from Elle’s anger.This must be killing Liddy.“Almost all of this is my fault. I overheard Sergio on the phone telling someone where he was going to be on the day after we arrived. But rather than give Liddy that information, I bribed her into pretending to be my girlfriend to put an end to my mum’s harassment about me getting together with my ex.”

Elle searched his face, her cheeks red. “God, you know, I always thought you could be a selfish prick when you wanted, but you had the good sense to draw the line at your friends. Seriously, Cal? You pulled this withmy sister?What sort of person does that?”

Quinn grimaced beside her.

Not that I should expect to rely on Quinn’s support right now. I deserve their anger.

“It’s not Callum’s fault,” Liddy said, shifting her weight onto her back foot. “Yes, he suggested it, but I’m the one who lost the dress and assumed Sergio had stolen it. Callum didn’t need to help me, and he went to a lot of trouble to help me find Sergio afterward. Likea lot.We basically got stranded in the middle of the country without any money, out of gas, no cell phone—plus some restaurant owner held my passport as a guarantee when we couldn’t pay the bill.”

Quinn’s brows drew together. “You must be joking.”

“Wait, that’s where you guys went? To find this Sergio?”

Callum nodded. “Liddy did everything in her power to get that dress back for you, Elle. I fully accept that I’ve behaved like an arse. But please don’t hold her responsible. She only ever wanted to do right by you.”

Elle stared down at the sand, appearing torn, her shoulders bunched. “Telling me—and Quinn—the truth would have been the best way to do right by me. Not only is it incredibly insulting to find out you’ve both been lying to us, but Iwashurt by the way Liddy took off, too. With no explanation.”

Elle met Liddy’s eyes. “I told you I needed your help, and then you just left. And now I find out you were lying too?” Elle’s eyes shone with tears. “Ireallydidn’t expect that.”

Liddy took a step forward, then hung back. “I’m sorry, Elle. I felt—feel—horrible. The whole time, all I wanted to do was just tell you the truth, but after that initial lie, everything happened so quickly and then I felt like I owed Callum . . .”

Tense silence hung between all four of them.

How could he ever come back from this? Elle might forgive her sister, but him?

I brought this upon myself.

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