Chapter 67
“Freya” Cillian’s voice pulled my attention from the puppies tumbling over each other in the park.
“Hex” I stood up from the bench, brushing invisible dust off my jeans. “You wanted to talk. What is it?
“You know something” The wind brushed against my face, the goosebumps tingling down my spine.
“Alsout what?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady even as his gaze la
“My brother’s past. His childhood. His words were sharp, deliberate,
Iron. My instinct way
burned into me, dissecting every flicker of emotion I might have betrayed.
was to be, to play dumb, but the heat in his stare left little room for pretense.
“You know something that I don’t
He sounded sure, he knew he was on to something. I had not seen this coming
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
1 forced out a chuckle, praying it would mask the sudden hammering in my chest. “I’m
“Don’t be. That day—I saw him stop you when you were about to blurt something out
He had seen Aiden grab my hand. My throat tightened as 1 searched for an escape..
“Tell me now What is he protecting me from?”
The intensity of his voice sent a ripple of unease through me. I deflected. “I didn’t realize this was an interrogation”
“It wouldn’t have been if my brother trusted me enough to share things with me. But he doesn’t.” He sounded hurt that his brother didn’t confide in
My jaw clenched. It wasn’t that simple. “It’s not a matter of trust.”
“Then what is i
I hesitated. How much could I say without making it worse? “You should really talk to him. Ask him what you want to know.”
“Oh, he’ll tell me everything! You think I haven’t tried asking in all these years?” His bitterness spilled into the space between us, raw and unfiltered. “It’s not a conversation you should be having with me.” My voice wavered. It wasn’t my place to tell him. It never had been.
“I just need to know what has happened” His desperation made my stomach twist, “I know our father was not good to him. I know he was abusive, but I don’t know the extent of it. It drives me crazy thinking why the fuck does he project all that anger towards Mom.
His voice rose, and with it, my frustration. He was missing the point entirely
“It’s not—he doesn’t.” I muttered, but my words felt like air slipping through my fingers.
“He does. Aiden doesn’t have a single nice word to say to her. He misbehaves with her. He can’t bear to even look at her face. For fuck’s sake, she was
victim too!
I felt the familiar prickle of anger crawl up my spine,
“He didn’t care to viut her aher her surgery, even afte
even after I told him that she was asking
for hun. Why
My control snapped. “Because she ruined his fucking childhood!” I spat, my voice shaking with emotion I could no longer contain
Celun flinched but didn’t look away.
“She isn’t just a victim” I continued, my words tumbling out, unchecked. “She’s a selfish woman who cares for nothing else but herself. Not even her child That may not sound like the mother you grew up with, but that’s the mother Alden got. So no, he can’t bear to look at her face or say nice things to her”
I was breathless, the tury coursing through my veins.
Cillian shook his head, his denial stubborn and unyielding. “No. You’ve got it wrong. Dad was the bad guy. He was abusive, and he had an affair. But Mom was innocent. She wasn’t—”
“She was an addict. I cut him off, my voice sharp and unforgiving.
“She was an alcoholic. But she went to rehab.” He argued, but his voice was losing the conviction it earlier had.
“She did drugs. And her addiction almost got Aiden killed. That story about robbers? Bullshit! Your mother’s drug dealers and friends beat him to a pulp. Your mother didn’t call 911 and let him bleed for a whole day because she was afraid of getting arrested.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. I hadn’t realized how much this story had festered inside me until I was yelling it out.
Cillian stumbled back, as though I’d physically struck him. “What?” His voice was barely a whisper, his face pale and stricken. It was exactly when I realized my mistake. I let my emotions cloud my judgment. I shouldn’t have said anything
“It can’t be. Why wouldn’t he tell me! Why would Aiden not tell me all of this?” His face was a mixture of confusion and betrayal. Like he was unable to process what he had heard. I closed my eyes and breathed out
His confusion cut deeper than his anger, and guilt twisted in my gut.
“Because this wasn’t the mother you grew up with. He was trying to protect your feelings.” I said softly, hoping he would see the truth.
“Fucking feelings!” He said with a humorless laugh, his hands shaking as they ran through his hair. He looked up at the sky, his chest heaving as he tried to process everything.
“Cillian, you
u should you should come home with me. I’ll call your brother” I said in the hopes that these two can sit down and talk.
“No.” He snapped, his voice cold and final. “My brother can go to hell! Everyone can go to hell!”
I flinched at the venom in his tone, but before I could say anything else, he was already striding away. His car roared to life, tires screeching as he sped off.
I stood frozen, the weight of my mistake crushing down on me.
Stupid Stupid. Stupid. What the fuck did I do?
