Page 78 of Sardonic Burn

It’s all Lucas and Cecilia need to see for them to glance at each other with doubt.

“Alright, spit it out. What is happening?”

I lie again. “Nothing.”

“Oh, come on.” Cecilia rolls her eyes. “You winced at the mention of Dylan’s name.”

“Let’s just say I’m having some doubts about marrying him.”

A sigh of relief comes from both of them at the same time.

“Finally. What took you so long?”

“What?” I’m baffled.

Lucas tries to take a soft approach but fails miserably. He takes my hand in his and strokes the back of it. “You see, sweetie, as good as he is, he’s not someone who deserves a woman of your caliber.”

I blink. “I’ve known you for years, and you tell me thisnow?”

“Something obviously happened. Would you have listened if I told you this earlier?”

“No,” I confirm.

“There you have it.” He nods. “For what it’s worth, I knew you’d realize your worth some day.”

It couldn’t be further from the truth, but I don’t say it. Instead, I continue to talk to them about what I’ll need them todo in the near future. Cecilia continues to stare at me, angry, but she doesn’t try to lecture me. Not now, at least.

I don’t know what I’d tell her. It was an accident. But subconsciously, I had to have known I would’ve drowned, right?

The more I think about it, the less it makes sense. Rationally, I should be figuring out what Dylan is hiding. But for some reason, I can’t allow myself to do so. It means that the fantasy I have of him in my head would shatter to pieces.

Everything I know will burn to ashes in the blink of an eye, and I’m not ready to light the match.

Was I always this big of a coward?

“There’s just one problem, though.”

Lucas and Cecilia turn to look at me, waiting to hear me out.

“Hudson seems to be avoiding me.”

Lucas frowns. “Really?Thatman is avoidingyou? How strange.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He lifts a shoulder. “You’ll get there. But it is a problem, since you do need him. Figure it out, okay? We have two months.”

He’s right.

This isn’t the time to allow Hudson to go missing on me. I need answers regarding Dylan, and I need him. The more I think about it, the more I abhor the idea of having to need Hudson.

But at this point, that's all I have.

The hope of him being helpful in taking down that organization.

I’ve been drowning in self-pity for long enough. It’s already been too long since Hudson started ignoring me. It shouldn’t bother me. In fact, it shouldn’t even be a priority right now, but it is, and I don’t know how to stop it.

Slowly, it’s becoming an obsession.

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