“You said I drove her to suicide—how?”
“Those are Asher’s words, not mine. Apparently, Arianna said you were to blame before she jumped.”
A soft gasp tears out of me, and my voice turns haunted. “I was to blame how?”
“No idea, but Asher believes it as if it’s his religion. He fought with Alex about it right after Arianna’s death. He demanded his father sever all ties with you, but he wasn’t having it and told him to stop being irrational.”
My chest squeezes at the kindness from the man who’s filled the role of father since Dad passed away. “Alex didn’t believe him?”
Jason shakes his head.
“How about you?” My voice is so filled with hope it’s pathetic.
“It doesn’t matter what I believe.”
“It matters to me.” If Jace is Cloud003, he’s possibly the only friend I have in this pile of chaos, and right now, I need someone I can lean on.
“Of course not, Reina. There might have been disagreements before her death, but you loved Arianna as if she were your sister. She was the only one you never acted snobby or robotic with.”
“Then how come Asher believes I’d hurt her?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, there’s no proof of what he said. He was the only one on the roof when Arianna committed suicide, so there are no other witnesses. I think he’s only using his sister’s death to inflict pain on you. Since he couldn’t get rid of you before, that opportunity was golden for him.”
My palms turn sweaty as I clasp my hands together.
No.
As monstrous as Asher’s grudge is, it’s real and tangible. I saw the intensity of it in his green eyes and tasted it on my tongue.
He didn’t make it up. He really thinks I had something to do with Arianna’s suicide.
Now, I must figure out a way to prove my innocence, and I need to find it quick.
Judging from Asher’s pace with things, I won’t be so lucky next time he comes back for my soul.
I meet Jason’s gaze. “Yesterday you said something about things escalating before Izzy stopped you.”
“Yeah.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I think he’s after your life, Reina. Those attacks were only a preparation for the grand finale. Next time, he’ll force you to jump off a roof like Arianna did.”
I gulp at the thought, not because I’m scared, but more because of how that possibility hurts.
“Do you think he’s the one who beat me up in the forest?” I ask.
“Probably.”
The remaining part of my heart shrinks and turns into stone.
Asher took everything from me.
Maybe I have taken everything from him, too.
Now we have nothing.
Don’t they say those who have nothing to lose are the scariest?
Life is strange.
One day it’s all unicorns and rainbows, and the next, it’s a straight-up trip to hell.