Page 79 of Secrets That We Keep (Forbidden Descendants 2)

I blinked, then shook my head before exploding, “What?” What in God’s name did that even mean?

Yellow seemed to crumple under my incredulous stare. Shaking her head, she backed away from me. “I—I shouldn’t have said anything.”

But she didn’t leave. Her chest was heaving, and her breathing had increased. Tears glittered in her eyes as she leaned forward and rested her forehead on the door.

I had no idea what was happening, but I fell victim to all the innocence I wanted to believe she had.

“Talk to me,” I pleaded, gently touching her back. “I want to help you. I want to understand. I just need to know what you aren’t saying here. And I will believe you. I promise.”

She sniffed, and tears trickled down her cheeks. “I wouldn’t have said anything at all,” she started, her voice almost too shaky to be recognizable. “But I can’t handle you thinking of me that way. I can’t handle you thinking I’m a—that I’m a—”

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “Because I’m not. I swear it.”

“Yellow.” My touch shifted to her shoulder and then down her arm to her hand. When I made it to her fingers, she interlaced hers with mine and squeezed tight, even as she shuddered and refused to look back at me.

“I believe you,” I said.

This time, I didn’t ask for details. I just left it at that. Everyone had their secrets. I should allow her to keep hers.

She hiccupped a sob and whirled around, breaking our hold so she could lurch toward me. Rising up onto her toes and throwing her arms around me, she hugged me hard as she buried her face into my chest. “Thank you.”

I hugged her back, cupping the back of her head in my palm and stroking the other hand soothingly down her spine. Neither of us spoke. She kept her thoughts to herself, and I held her, anyway.

Afterward, she silently pulled away and looked up at me. Then she reached up and cupped my cheek in one hand for half a second, silently thanking me with her gaze, before she pulled away and left the room.

Feeling strangely bereft at her absence, I fell into a chair and cradled my hands in my head. Blowing out a long, unsteady breath, I sat up again and wiped my face with my palms.

I didn’t know what to think about Yellow Nicksen anymore. I just knew I couldn’t hate her, no matter what she’d done or hadn’t done. And I absolutely could not believe that she’d cheated with my sister’s fiancé, no matter how much evidence was stacked up against her.

Chapter Fourteen

Fox

THAT NEXT FRIDAY

After getting plastered at my surprise birthday party, I didn’t feel like ever drinking again. So when I got a message from Julian saying we were having an impromptu guys’ night out, I instantly wanted to decline. But I knew everyone would ask why if I didn’t show up. I didn’t want to have to answer that, ergo it seemed safer to just go.

There was always so much talk and conversation at these things, no one would notice if I moodily kept to the sidelines and simply existed in the group for a few hours without actually participating in anything.

It wasn’t like I had anything else to do, anyway, except sit at home alone and be miserable.

I’d been too chicken shit to call Bella all week long. After the drunken booty call text she’d never responded to, I felt like I’d messed up beyond fixing anything. If I called now, it would just prompt her to cut me free permanently.

I wasn’t ready for that, so I had done my own thing these past few days.

And she hadn’t tried to contact me once.

Trying not to think about what that probably meant, I ordered a burger basket and Coke as I found a spot between JB and Beau at the table where Julian had reserved the back VIP room for us at his dad’s bar.

“You missed the bet going around for the game tonight,” my brother-in-law informed me, barely able to take his eyes off the large screen that covered the back wall as he popped a handful of beer nuts into his mouth. “But Dominic’s holding the pot if you still want in.”

I had no idea what game was playing or even what sport they were planning to watch, so I shook my head and waved a hand. “Nah. I’m good.”

He shrugged, murmuring, “Suit yourself,” as he took a long drink from his bottle.

I watched him a moment, studying the tight pinch around his mouth and the deep shadows under his eyes. He didn’t seem to be faring too well tonight either.

Leaning his way, I lowered my voice just enough so that only he’d hear me. “How’s Bentley doing?”

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