Page 109 of F*ckboys

Finally, I sag against him, the fight draining out of me. Sobs wrack my body.

He strokes my hair, murmuring comfort. I cling to him, the only steady thing left in my crumbling world. Ironic, given it's Link of all people. Link has never been my shelter in the storm. But right now, with everything in ruins around me, I need my brother. The one person who knows me inside out, flaws and all, and loves me anyway.

I glance at him. "I hate you sometimes."

"I know." He kisses the top of my head. "But you love me, too."

And that's the damn truth. Against all odds, I do.

Link holds me while I cry, ragged sobs that shake my entire body. His embrace is my anchor in a sea of chaos and uncertainty. He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Revenge won't undo the damage, Fallon. It won't take away the hurt."

"Maybe not." I slam the empty glass on the table, relishing the spike of pain in my palm. "But it will sure as hell make me feel better. What Aksel did..." My voice cracks, betraying the anguishwrithing beneath my rage. "He destroyed me, Link. Shattered me into a million pieces. I'll never trust anyone again."

"Your heart will heal, Fallon. It's just going to take some time. Not all men are like him." Link's voice softens with understanding.

"Enough of them are." I stand abruptly, the room tilting around me. The whiskey burns through my veins, fueling my anger.

When the storm of tears finally subsides, I pull away and wipe at my eyes. "I'm sorry." My throat is raw, my words hoarse.

"Don't apologize." Link's eyes soften. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I shouldn't have lashed out at you." I swallow hard. "You were just trying to protect me."

"Yeah, well, that's what big brothers do." He shrugs, aiming for casual and missing the mark. "Even when their sisters don't want them to."

I give him a watery smile. "I guess I'm stuck with you, aren't I?"

"Like glue." He nudges my shoulder, a quiet reassurance. "What do you want to do now?"

The question hangs between us, weighted with unspoken fears. I don't know how to move forward from here. How do I rebuild when the ground has shifted beneath my feet?

I stare into the amber depths of my glass, watching the light dance across the rippling surface. "What any self-respecting woman would do after finding out she's been made a fool of." I down the whiskey in one burning gulp. "Make them pay."

"Fallon, don't do something you'll regret." Link's warning falls on deaf ears.

Regret is for the weak. I've already shed enough tears for Aksel's betrayal. Now it's time to make him bleed. The thought slices through my fragile composure, sharp as a knife. I struggleto breathe, overcome by a fresh wave of anguish. The pain of being able to block things out for a moment is that you need to re-remember them all over again.

I scream, my voice raw and primal, and hurl a framed picture of Aksel and I across the room. The crash of exploding glass mirrors the fragments of my broken trust.

"I can't believe he did this to me," I whisper. Tears burn my eyes, trailing down my cheeks in hot streams. I gave Aksel the power to break me, and he shattered me into a million pieces. I feel like such an idiot, ashamed, for making the same mistake twice.

Link's hand closes over mine, grounding me. "We'll figure this out together, Fallon. Whatever you decide to do, I'm here for you."

His quiet vow resonates within me. We have our differences, but Link has always been there when I needed him most. For better or worse, our bond is unbreakable.

I cling to him like a lifeline. "I don't know what comes next. But as long as I have you, I know I'll be okay."

"Damn straight." Link pulls me close again, fierce and protective. "Aksel's going to regret the day he ever hurt you. And if he thinks he's getting away with this, he has another thing coming. Just don't kill the guy, please, as much as you might want to right now. I don't want to have to visit you in prison, although you know that I would."

"Stay out of my way, brother." I stalk to the door, ready to show him out. "You're either with me or against me. Choose carefully." As the words leave my mouth I realize that, for once, it feels like Link is on my side. And it feels really nice.

Aksel will soon learn that destroying my heart for the second time was a bad idea. Because I'm about to unleash all of my rage on his lying, cheating ass.

Chapter 61

Fallon

The air crackles as I storm into the meeting room where Mia sits in front of a stack of papers, one of my hands balled into a fist, the other grasping a blown-up version of the photo that crushed my heart. I can feel the rage etched into the lines of my face, my lips pulled back in an uncontrollable snarl. I try to neutralize my expression, but it's like my face is frozen, my emotions setting it in an immovable mask.

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