Page 77 of Bitter Truths

“Yeah,” I grumble, pausing when a hand appears before me. Looking up, I find Griffin standing over me with a weird look on his face, but his pretty eyes are shining when he says softly, “Here.”

I tentatively take his hand, and he pulls me to my feet. Refusing to look at him, I wipe away the snow on my ass awkwardly. Just being near him creates a cascade of tingles hard to ignore, but it’s followed by an aching sense of loss because he’s not with me. He’s here with her.

“Have you spoken to your brother?” he asks randomly.

“Max? No, not unless you count our weekly family meeting,” I mutter, my stomach clenching when he flinches.

I should be happy to see his pain because this is what I wanted, but the victory is hollow because all I really want is him.

“How’s he doing?” he asks.

“He’s okay, I think.”

“Hm.”

“What?” I look into his eyes and cringe away from the disdain shining back at me.

“I thought you were one big happy family now that you’ve forgiven him and all,” he utters with a sneer, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Griffin—”

“No, it’s fine.”

“You hurt me,” I say sadly as Miranda approaches with a frown.

“So did he,” he says quietly.

“Yes, he did. And maybe he doesn’t deserve it, but Griffin . . .”

“What?” he asks with quiet desperation.

“Griff,” Miranda says, sliding her hand down his arm.

I stare at that hand, claiming him, and look back at him with a world of pain behind my eyes. His face falls before his eyes shutter.

Miranda looks between us with a frown, but we both ignore her, and after a painful moment in which we don’t speak, I turn away, following Aaron blindly across the snow.

He falls in beside me, leading me to a different area until we’re beyond the group and it’s quieter.

“You want to leave?”

“No,” I say on a shuddering breath. “I can’t run every time I’m faced with something painful.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.” I smile at him. I’m grateful he’s here for me, and I thank fuck someone is. I’m not sure I could go it alone.

“Okay, well, you asked for it,” he says with a devilish smile, and my question dies on my lips when I see the new hill he’s brought me to.

“No way.”

“Aww, c’mon, it’s not any worse than the last,” he says playfully.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

Turning to me with a solemn expression, he says quietly, “I’m showing you how to live.”

How to live. Is this what Dr. Marks means?

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