Page 148 of Tangled In Lies

Phoenix going to prison.

All those years I lived in fear for myself and my friends.

My engagement to Phoenix.

The explosion.

Thinking it was over when the police arrested Ben.

How stupid.

How utterly, utterly stupid.

All the while the real monster was right in front of me, watching the puppet show he created from the front row. My friend. My best friend’s boyfriend.

Bile rises in my throat, and I barely turn my head in time to puke over the edge of the bed. I heave until my stomach is empty. Saliva drips out of my mouth while I try to catch my breath.

Footsteps come closer.

Someone pulls my hair hard enough for my head to snap back. Tyler’s face appears only inches from mine. “Maybe things would have gone differently if you had listened back then.”

“Take your fucking hands off of her.” Phoenix’s voice is menacing, and the bed shakes like we’re in the middle of an earthquake.

Staring at Tyler, and into his familiar hazel eyes that are now filled with nothing but darkness, I let words slip free that I’ve never let myself say, let alone think. “It is not my fault she’s dead. It is not my fault. You killed her.You.”

I don’t just say them, I yell them. Right in his face.

I was holding on to that guilt, to that grief, for so long it became a living part of me. Always clinging to me, a shadow weighing me down. And now, that heavy weight slowly lifts off my shoulders.

Tyler lets go of my hair and shoves me back toward the mattress.

The air stalls in my lungs.

With his hands in his pockets, he stares at me with narrowed eyes.

My skin crawls.

The corners of his mouth lift into a poor imitation of a smile. “I don’t care what you tell yourself, but it was your choice. You played with your sister’s life, and you lost. I only did what I had to. You made me kill her.You.”

One beat.

Two beats.

Three beats.

“You’re a fucking monster.” A scream rips from my throat.

I yank on my restraints to grab him, but he jumps out of reach. The metal bites into my skin, trying to bury itself deep in my flesh. I welcome the pain and the anger that comes with it. It doesn’t burden me like the fear and panic. Instead, it fuels me.

I want to kill him.

Ihaveto kill him.

If Phoenix and I make it out of here alive, I know deep down in my soul that Tyler won’t.

And that’s a promise I intend to keep.

Tyler’s headshake is accompanied by a crazy smile. “Well, as much fun as this was, I’ve got things to do. But I’ll be back later so we can talk more. Try to behave until then.” He strolls toward the door and says, “Babe, clean up the mess she made.”

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