Page 182 of On a Fault Line

Deep down I thought if I rid the planet of Mark Tanner, I would somehow be granted immunity for any stupid shit I’ve done prior.

I’m an idiot.

And now I know with confidence that this man absolutely hates me.

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

He jerks me forward by my shirt just to slam me back against the ropes of the ring.

“It’s not Penny’s fault.”

“Of course it’s not her fault, you fucker!Youknew better.” He looks away as if the sight of my face alone disgusts him. “You preyed on my little sister when she was at her most vulnerable.”

“It wasn’t like that…”

But how do I explain that Penny tried for weeks to get me to cave to her desires? She’s the one who pursued me, yet in reality I’ll never actually blame her.

There’s just no point… How would I even go about challenging the narrative Graham already has solidified in his own head?

I can’t.

There’s nothing I can say or do that will change the fact that I’m sixteen years older than the girl who has enraptured my entire heart.

When I think Graham’s going to spit on me, he changes direction and walks off to the side of the ring.

“End it with her.”

He makes it sound easy, as if I haven’t already considered this scenario for the last three months.

I lean against the ropes for stability. My lip is already clotting, and the stickiness from the blood is making every motion of my mouth sore as I reopen the wound.

“I’m sorry,” I try again.

But it’s Graham’s glare that makes me want to crumble. I broke more than just his trust. I broke his baby sister.

“When?”

My eyes twitch. “When what?”

“When did you think that double-crossing me was in the best interest of friendship?”

“Ninety-five days ago,” I choke out.

But in reality, I betrayed him from the first moment I saw Penny at her twenty-second birthday party. It was that event that changed the entire course of my life and shattered the one I’ve spent years to rebuild.

Besides, it’s not like I can even fight for her when she deserves better than to be estranged from her family, who mean everything to her.

Family comes first, and I’d never want her to choose between me or them.

They need her more than someone as fucked-up as I am does.

I’ve been destined to be alone.

Penny, on the other hand, needs someone who will nurture her—not destroy her.

No matter how many times I told myself I couldn’t resist her charms, I did the one thing that completely shattered the trust from the two men who gave me another reason to live.

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