Page 150 of Sticks and Stones
Honestly, Corbin appreciated that.
Really.
Ethan knew it was time to tell Corbin everything, so that he’d see that Gene really only had his best interests at heart. It was time to share everything because holding the truth back wouldn’t help Corbin in the long run.
Actions had consequences, and this ripple was going clear across the pond.
“We’ll run interference for you as much as we can. Like today.”
Corbin lifted a brow.
He was confused.
Did he miss something?
“What does that mean,” he asked.
Ethan explained.
“While you were here with me, Gene had to deal with your boyfriend, Will,” he said, out of the blue. “He had to buy you some time.”
At his name, Corbin tensed.
Then, he went there.
“He saw Will?” he asked.
It looked like Ethan had to break this to him, and he hoped he could handle it.
Corbin had a lot of shit to handle because of his choices.
Unfortunately, there were some things that they couldn’t do for him.
This happened to be one of them.
“Yes, he did. When he went to your place to get you some of your things, Will showed up. He confronted Gene, and he told him you were working on a case. He’s not sure that Will actually believed him, but he’s going to keep coming at us until you face him.”
With his voice so low, he answered him. Corbin had been thinking about this for a while. To him, there was only one choice.
Corbin was going to have to let him go.
“I don’t know if I can face him. Look at me. I’m a mess,” he whispered. “Who wants this nightmare in their life?”
Ethan closed the files, and he cut up more of Corbin’s food for him. Then, he placed the fork in his hand again.
“That’s not your choice. Like I couldn’t tell you how to handle this and what to do regarding the evidence you were wearing, you can’t tell Will how he gets to react. If he loves you, he’s going to want to be with you even after this. If he really cared about you, he’s going to be by your side for the journey. That’s how you’ll know it’s love. You told us you wanted to marry him.”
Corbin nodded.
“I do. I mean, I did.”
“And was what happened to you the reason you don’t want to do that?” Ethan asked.
Slowly, he nodded.
“Yes. This is going to be a horrible road to be on,” he whispered. “I was raped, and I could be sick. I could be a ticking time bomb with HIV, so how do I damn him for the rest of my life with that?”
Ethan knew what he meant.
