Page 67 of Sweet Lies

“You’re the only one,” I answer truthfully, knowing I shouldn’t.

“If that’s the case, I order you to kiss me till we both forget about returning to our lives.”

Claire’s voice yells up the stairs “Come along, princess. We’ve been summoned.”

“Isn’t the whole point of being a princess being able to tell them to fuck off?” she asks, raising an eyebrow and leaning back into the pillows.

“Not in your brother’s world.”

“How much did he pay you?” she asks. “How much was I worth to him?”

“Do you really want to know the answer?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know,” she points out, annoyed I won’t tell her. “He didn’t use any of his precious money to find me back then. Just wondering what I’m worth now.”

The knock on the door interrupts whatever I was going to say, and Claire barges in without waiting for a response. Her knowledgeable eyes take us in, and I know she’s put together a story in her head. She may be too correct for my liking.

“You should both learn where one room ends and the other begins before E’s the one barging in,”Claire says, eyeing the space between us.

“He has no say in who I choose to spend my time with. Speaking about who he chooses to spend time, with how much did he pay him to find me?” Rebecca asks, stepping closer.

“Subtle, Bec,” Claire says, rolling her eyes. Her hands fist at her sides. This isn’t good. “He did it as a favor.”

She twists her neck and stares at me in disbelief. “You took me to him for free? After everything, and it wasn’t even about the money?” Her neck reddens as rage takes over.

“Bec…”

Rebecca’s gaze snaps in her sister’s direction, and she takes a step toward her.

Wrapping my arms around her midsection, I pull her back against me. Her hands rest on my arms.

“You’re all stronger together than apart. It’s time they knew the truth,” I mumble against her ear, trying to calm the rage that’s burning to gain release.

“You should start writing hallmark cards,” she snaps, breaking free.

“So you did know she was alive?” Though Claire obviously suspected this, she’s still shocked by the confirmation. I can feel Rebecca’s satisfaction.

“There’s a lot of things you missed over the years, it seems,” she says.

“It’s a long story,” I bite out, scowling.

“I can see there’s a hell of a lot more to this story,” Claire mumbles, looking between us. “Elijah’s expecting us downstairs though, so it’ll have to wait till later.”

“Everything has to come later for you and Elijah—some things never change,” she shoots back.

“It seems you’re still childish and still need to be protected from the real world,” Claire barks in response.

I grab Rebecca’s wrist, my grip like steel.

“You want to stay up here, go for it,” Claire says. “You wanted in; well, now you’re in. Welcome to our life. It’s not as fun as it appears from the ivory tower.”

“You’re a bitch and know nothing,” Rebecca screams, her fingers digging deeper.

“I know nothing because you won’t tell us what happened. You didn’t think it fit to tell us you were alive. If you want to tell us, tell us and stop punishing us for things we don’t know.”

“You should have known,” she rages, twisting hard against me. “You should have known I was alive and come for me. Two of the most powerful people around couldn’t be bothered to check and make sure their sister was really dead? You moved on and left.”

Not wanting to trigger another flashback, I release her, and she stumbles forward at the unexpected freedom. Getting into Claire’s face, she adds, “I don’t forgive you, and I sure as hell don’t forget.”

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