The cold night air bit at my skin as I pulled my coat tighter around me and stepped out of the apartment building. I needed a breather, an escape from the overwhelming thoughts that refused to leave me alone. The constant fear, the lies, the threats—it was suffocating.
As I turned the corner toward the small park near the apartment, I stopped in my tracks. Grayson stood under a dim streetlight, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, his dark hair messy from the wind. His eyes locked onto mine the second I spotted him, and something in his expression told me this wasn’t just a casual visit.
“Lila,” he said, his voice low and rough. “I need to talk to you.”
My stomach twisted. “How long have you been standing out here?”
“Hours,” he admitted, stepping closer. “I wasn’t sure if you’d even talk to me.”
I crossed my arms, trying to hide the emotions swirling inside me. “That depends. Are you finally going to tell me the truth?”
He flinched at my words, his jaw tightening. “I’ve been trying to protect you, Lila. Everything I’ve done—it’s been for you.”
“Protect me?” I scoffed, the anger bubbling up again. “Grayson, every time you try to ‘protect me,’ I end up more tangled in this mess. So forgive me if I’m not buying it anymore.”
He ran a hand through his hair, looking more vulnerable than I’d ever seen him. “You don’t understand—”
“Then make me understand!” I snapped, my voice trembling. “Tell me what’s going on, Grayson. No more half-truths, no more lies. I deserve to know.”
He stared at me for a long moment, as if debating whether or not to say the words. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping.
“There’s more to Evelyn’s death than you know,” he said quietly.
I froze, my heart pounding. “What do you mean?”
Grayson took another step closer, his eyes searching mine. “I know you think Victor is behind everything, and you’re not wrong. But it’s more complicated than that. Evelyn wasn’t just… in the way. She knew things—things about my family that could ruin us.”
I felt like the ground was slipping out from under me. “What things?”
He hesitated, his gaze dropping to the ground. “If I tell you the truth, it’ll destroy everything, Lila. My family, your life… everything.”
I shook my head, my voice breaking. “It already has, Grayson. My house is gone, my family’s in danger, and I don’t know who to trust anymore. What more could you possibly take from me?”
He winced, his jaw clenching again. “Victor threatened your family.”
My breath hitched. “What?”
Grayson looked at me, his eyes filled with guilt. “He said if I didn’t cooperate, if I didn’t keep you in line, he’d go after them. He told me he’d make them disappear, just like Evelyn.”
The weight of his confession hit me like a freight train. I stumbled back, struggling to process what he’d just said.
“You knew he was threatening my family,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t know what else to do,” he said desperately. “I thought if I kept you close, if I could convince Victor that you weren’t a threat, I could protect you.”
“Protect me?” I repeated, my voice rising. “Grayson, you’ve been lying to me this whole time. How is that protecting me?”
“I didn’t want you to get hurt,” he said, his voice breaking. “I was trying to keep you safe.”
I let out a bitter laugh, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “Safe? Do you even hear yourself? You’ve done nothing but push me closer to danger. And now my family’s in the middle of it too.”
He reached for me, but I stepped back. “Lila—”
“No,” I said firmly, my voice trembling. “I can’t do this anymore, Grayson. I can’t keep pretending that everything’s fine when it’s not. You need to decide whose side you’re on—Victor’s or mine.”
Grayson looked at me, his expression torn. “You don’t understand—”
“Then make me understand,” I said softly, my voice filled with pain. “Because right now, all I see is someone who’s too afraid to stand up to his father.”
He flinched again, but he didn’t respond. The silence between us was deafening, and it spoke louder than any words ever could.