Page 71 of Betraying Him
“Very. The stuff I read in that folder… it’s awful,” I state, and he nods, seemingly pleased.
“Well, there we go. We take it to the police.”
“That won’t work,” I whisper. “He has too many connections, he’d have something like that go away within minutes.”
He throws his arms in the air, clearly agitated. “The press, then. Reporters, bloggers, news stations—whoever can get the story out. Your father will be ruined, and the cops will have nochoice but to arrest him when it becomes public knowledge. All you need to do is give them the fold?—”
“No.”
“No? What the fuck do you mean, no?”
“I mean no, Harley. That folder is filled with stuff, but not only on my father. It has details of what happened with your mom and what your dad covered up. I’ve already ruined your family enough. I won’t do it again.”
Harley hesitates, his eyes squinting off to the side as he thinks about what to do. “My family’s reputation can take a hit if it means keeping you safe,” he rasps, but I’m already shaking my head.
“I won’t do it, Harley. I can’t. Logan has been planning something for a while now, so I need to talk to him and see if he’s come up with any ideas that could work in everyone’s favor.”
Harley sighs and plops himself back down onto the couch opposite me, sagging into the cushions.
“I just need you safe,” he murmurs, and tears spring to my eyes again.
“You don’t hate me anymore then?” I ask, and he scoffs before scooting forward and placing his hands on my thighs, making sure his eyes are locked on mine.
“I don’t hate you, Sav. Hell, I don’t think I ever really did. Sure, I was angry and wanted revenge, so I took it all out on you, but even then, there was a part of me that just wanted… no,neededto be near you.
“I’ve always been drawn to you, but back then I thought it was because I needed you to take out my frustrations, but in reality, I just needed you close to me, and I still do.”
I clear my throat to try and dislodge the lump that his words caused. “Us being together is the worst thing we could do.”
He chuckles darkly. “Baby, I think beingapartis the worst thing we can do.”
“So just like that, you’ve changed your mind about me? You can’t just flip a switch like that, Harley.”
He sighs. “It might not work. I might start hating you for real, or you might start to resent me. Who the fuck knows? I just know that right now, I need you, and I thinkyouneedme.”
As soon as the words leave his lips, a flush of anger sweeps over me.
“No,” I snap. “You don’t get to just erase everything that’s happened. You don’t just get to forget everything. You can’t erase everything, and you can’t pretend we haven’t been anything other than toxic for the last three years, Harley.
“You can say it doesn’t matter all you want, but it does. It matters tome, and too much has happened for us to just move past it. It’s not happening.We’renot happening, not after everything we’ve done to hurt each other. I think you should go, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to speak to me anymore.”
FIFTY-ONE
SAVANNAH
I siton the couch and stare at the wall for what feels like forever. Harley left after what I said, a look of utter defeat on his face, but I didn’t do a single thing to stop him or make him feel better.
I couldn’t.
Harley acted as though everything is done, like the last few years were completely erased, and we’d gone back to how things were before everything went to shit.
But there’s no way that’s possible.
There’s too much history between us for things to ever work out, yet Harley has done a complete one-eighty in the way he’s treating me.
And I have no freaking idea how to feel about that.
I hate myself for still wanting him after all this time, but I can’t let myself act on those feelings. I’ve seen firsthand what it’s like to be on his bad side, and the thought of having to deal with that again makes me sick.
