“Jas—” he mutters.
“No,” I interject. I can’t stop the tsunami of emotions rolling out of me. “All you’ve done is torture me for your own amusement. You roped me down, locked me up, forced me to stay … used me for pleasure …” My pussy thumps, but I ignore it. “Did you hate me so much?”
“Hate?” His brows furrow harshly, as though he can’t believe my words, as though it guts him like a knife.
“It hurts,” I say, my lip quivering. “But nothing hurt more than listening to my sister tell the world that the reason she had to flee in that car with you was because you kissed her.”
3 years ago
* * *
I stare from the top of the stairs as Jill walks into the house with her head between her shoulders, our parents pushing her forward as the maid closes the front door behind them.
Like a prisoner escorted to a cell, she’s guided upstairs.
I make my way back inside my room and shut the door, listening to the sounds of their footsteps. Not a single word or whisper is uttered. It’s like a death sentence has been passed.
My lungs constrict with every breath.
Jill’s back home.
But for how long?
When her door closes, my heart skips a beat.
I wait a few more minutes and then open mine to dart down the hallway to her door. I place my ear against the wood and listen to her cry.
“Jill?” I mutter as I open the door slightly.
When our eyes connect, she immediately brushes the tears away. “Hey.”
“Are you okay?” I ask as I step inside and close the door behind me.
She nods, but after a while, she shakes her head. “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”
I approach her, but her eyes only tear up more.
“Don’t blame yourself,” I say.
“Liam’s dead because of me,” she says.
I sit down beside her. “What happened that night?”
“I already told you,” she says. “I drove off in my car, and when lightning struck, the car veered off the road, and I lost control.”
“I know, but I mean … why did you drive off with Liam like that?” I ask.
She looks at me and then averts her eyes. “Luca tried to stab him.”
My jaw drops. “What?!”
“They were fighting, and I didn’t want Liam to get hurt, so I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the car.” She clutches a pillow. “I should’ve just let them fight it out. At least he wouldn’t have died.”
“So you were trying to save him,” I say. “It was an accident.”
“That’s what I said, but of course no one believes me.”
“I do,” I say.