A hand closes around my arm, stopping me. “Let him go.” Ethan’s voice is firm.
I try to pull away. “I need to talk to him.”
“He needs to be alone right now.” Ethan’s grip is not painful, but it is unyielding. “Trust me on this.”
“He just attacked Ryker! Because of me? I have to talk to him.”
“No, you don’t.” Ethan’s eyes are hard when they meet mine. “You need to let him handle this.”
Heat floods my face. Around us, people are still staring, whispering. Ryker is being helped to his feet by his father, his face twisted with embarrassment and rage.
“He had no right,” I hiss, trying to keep my voice down, “to make ascene like that. To act like I’m some damsel who needs saving. He humiliated me in front of everyone.”
“Are you serious right now?” Ethan’s voice drops to a growl that makes me flinch. “You’re so lost in your hatred of Darius that you don’t see half the things he’s doing for you.”
The word “hatred” hits me like a slap.
“I don’t hate him!”
“He said ONE thing. One stupid thing to his father that you overheard, and you’ve taken it and made it into a noose around his neck.” Ethan’s jaw clenches, eyes flashing with an anger I’ve never seen him direct at me before. “Do you have any idea the lengths he goes to for you? The things he does that you never know?”
I open my mouth. Close it. My chest feels too tight.
“No.” Ethan releases my arm and steps back. His face tightens, like he regrets the words even as he says them. “Of course you don’t. Because you’re too busy punishing him for one mistake. For saying something he didn’t even mean.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?” He runs a hand through his hair, his expression torn between anger and concern. “Look, I’m not trying to be cruel, Violet. But you’re being selfish. And I never thought I’d have to say that about you.”
The words still hurt, but his tone is different now. It’s as if he hates having to say what he’s saying.
Ethan’s expression softens slightly. “Go home. Let Darius handle the consequences of his actions. He doesn’t need you making it worse.”
He strides off, following the path Darius took, leaving me standing alone at the edge of the training grounds. Behind me, people are still whispering. Still staring.
I force my legs to move, heading for my car. My hands are unsteady as I try three times to get the key in the ignition.
The drive home is a blur.
“Selfish.”
“You don’t see half the things he’sdoing for you.”
“One mistake.”
Ethan’s words echo in my head, over and over, until I want to scream.
It’s almostsix by the time I get home. Cinnamon launches herself at me the moment I walk through the door.
The golden retriever puppy is all paws and enthusiasm, her tail wagging so hard her entire back end moves with it. She jumps up, trying to lick my face, completely oblivious to the fact that my world is crumbling.
“Hey, girl,” I whisper, my voice cracking.
She yips happily and dances around my feet, her pink tongue lolling out.
I sink to the floor right there in the entryway, and she immediately climbs into my lap. She’s still small enough to fit, with her soft puppy fur and oversized paws that she will grow into. She burrows against my chest like she can sense something’s wrong.
“Have I been cruel to him?” I ask her quietly, burying my face in her neck.
