48. Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Six
Devon
I’m home only five minutes before Dane storms into my bedroom, nearly tearing the door from its hinges. It slams into the wall behind it; the handle putting a hole in the drywall.
“Get out!” I scream, tugging my suitcase from my closet. I’m grabbing as much stuff as I can and getting the next flight to Myrtle Beach—to my new home. I can’t stay here another minute. Not after every person I know has betrayed me. I need to get out of here more than ever.
“How could you do this? Do you know how dangerous it is to go to those things?” Dane shouts.
“Here we go again with the double standards,” I mutter, dropping my suitcase onto the bed and unzipping it.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I know you were supposed to go!” I scream. “Why is it okay for you to do whatever you want, with your best friend who is a lying asshole, but your sister has to stay in a fucking bubble?” He just stares at me as I storm to my dresser and tug open the drawer. I grab as much as I can and drop it into the suitcase. A lot of my things are already at Tate’s house, so I’ll never get them back. Best I just take what I can, but I’ll have a lot to buy when I get to my new house. Before going for more clothes, I look at Dane. “The shittiest part is I’ve been doing it to myself,” I say with a huff.
“Doing what?” he asks gently.
“Putting myself in a bubble! I find these safe places and hide away there, knowing nothing can hurt me. You did that to me. You and Dad. I’m tired of it, Dane. Tired of all this. I need a new life. Away from you and Dad and anyone else who tries to stop me from living my life.”
“So, what, you’re just going to run away? You don’t have anywhere to go.”
“That’s where you’re wrong!”
His brows raise.
“I have a house. Bought it with the money I got from the auction.” I force out a laugh. “It’s bittersweet, you know? The heartache from Tate is almost worth the money just so I can leave.”
“You can’t leave,” he says firmly, shaking his head and moving closer to me.
I purse my lips. “I can and I am. Already bought the house.”
“What? Where?”
“I’m not telling you.”
I go to my closet and rip whatever I can carry from the hangers.
“Then I’m not letting you go,” he says, sounding a little crazed .
He moves in front of the door, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You can’t stop me, Dane. I’m an adult. If you don’t let me leave now, I’ll do it another day.”
He doesn’t answer me and doesn’t move. I finish gathering my things. When the suitcase is packed full, I close it, grab it, and move to Dane.
“I don’t want you to go, Devon.” The emotion in his voice makes me want to cry. I don’t want to leave my brother. But I have to.
“Well, I can’t stay.” My words are weak. Shaky.
“You’re just leaving because Tate hurt you— again .”
“If you cared about that, why was he here all the time? If you knew he hurt me, why let him be here, huh? Don’t use him as an excuse.”
“I…”
I nod. “You spend all this time protecting me, not letting me go out and do things, but it has nothing to do with protecting me at all. It’s all about control. You’re scared because of what happened to Mom. You’re not worried about me getting hurt. If you were, you never would have let Tate in this house after what he did to me.”
“That isn’t true!”
“Yes, it is,” I say simply. “It really is. And it’s okay. I understand.”
“You’re wrong.” He shakes his head adamantly.
I throw my hands up. “Fine. I’m wrong. If that makes you feel better—okay. But I’m still leaving. ”
Dane glares at me, shifting his stance to make himself look bigger.
“If you don’t let me leave, I swear I’ll never tell you where I’m going and I’ll never talk to you again,” I say in a low voice, holding his gaze. I will not back down from this. I will leave.
Dane breaks first, his face falling, shoulders sagging.
“You can’t leave me, Dev…”
“I have to,” I say urgently, wiping my eyes. “I can’t be here anymore. I need my own life. I don’t fit in here, Dane. Don’t you see that? You and Dad have the business, and I’m just… here. I feel like a goldfish stuck in a fish tank too small for me.”
He sighs and says, “Tell me where you’re going, and I’ll let you go.”
“Let me go and I’ll tell you where I’m going,” I counter, holding up my chin.
He growls, moving out of the way. I walk out the door and stop, glancing over my shoulder.
“Myrtle Beach.” It’s all I say before I rush down the stairs and out to my car. I’ll park it in the lot at the airport and tell Dane he needs to find a way to get it.
Before going to the airport, I make a much-needed pit stop.
I knock on the door firmly. It’s late and I don’t want to wake Astrid or Summer’s neighbors. But I need to talk to her before I go .
She pulls the door open, brow creased. “Devon, are you okay?” Her hair is a mess and she’s in light blue pajamas with rubber ducks on them. She must have been sleeping.
“Can we talk?” I ask.
She nods, moving aside so I can come in. She closes and locks the door after me.
“Do you want a drink or something?”
“I’m good.”
We hold each other’s stare for a moment, and I realize I need to do the talking. Even if I feel I need an apology from her, I came to her.
“I wanted to let you know I’m leaving.”
“Oh,” she says, sounding almost surprised.
“I’m going to the airport now.”
She looks away, chewing on the inside of her lip. A small part of me wants to scream at her, let her know how angry I am. Tell her how badly she betrayed me and how much it hurts. Another part wants to forget all this happened just so I can hug her and be on good terms when I leave. But it can’t be that way.
“I’m sorry…” Her words are so quiet, so broken.
My eyes fall closed and I fight back tears.
“I don’t understand how you could keep this from me,” I say with a small shake of my head. I open my eyes, wiping the tears and looking at my best friend. She still won’t look at me, but I see the tear stains on her cheeks. “Summer—”
“I’m sorry,” she repeats, this time louder. “I was so scared of losing you. I messed up. But you were here, Devon. I made sure you were in her life. ”
“But Dane wasn’t,” I snap. “Yes, I’m angry for not knowing, but more because you lied to me. Mostly I’m sad for my brother, Summer. How could you keep that from him?”
Tears pour down her face now. “All I can say is I’m sorry, and I tried to make things better by telling him now.”
I sigh heavily. “Look, I’m still upset. I probably will be for a while, but it won’t be forever. I was hoping you and Astrid could come visit me next month.”
“I’d love that,” she says with a small smile.
“Can I say goodbye?” She nods, gesturing to Astrid’s room.
As quietly as I can, I make my way into her room. She has a big girl bed now, which is a Blue’s Clue’s toddler bed. It’s adorable and I bet she loves it. I kneel beside her, running my hand over her messy hair and kissing her forehead.
I’ve loved her since the moment she came into this world, but somehow, knowing she’s my brother’s daughter makes me love her even more.
I have a niece.
This adorable, smart little girl is my family. She has my blood.
“I’m going to miss you, sweet girl.”
I watch her for a long moment before kissing her head again and leaving the room. Summer is still in the kitchen, putting dishes away. I go behind her and hug her. Her hands come on top of mine and she hugs me back.
“I love you, Summer. I promise everything will be okay. I wish I didn’t have to leave, but I can’t stay here. Not right now.”
“I understand,” she says.
With another squeeze, I let her go.
“I’ll call you. ”
“You better.” She forces a smile. I leave the apartment, making sure to close the door behind me. I hear the lock click a moment later. Needing a moment to breathe, I lean against the wall. Nothing is happening the way I wanted it to, but it’s always like that, isn’t it?