An hour later, they emerge from Finn’s room. My mum wipes her eyes, and my dad wraps an arm around her shoulder. I hold my breath as I watch them, unsure if I want to know how the talk went.
“He wants to see you,” my mother says softly.
“Okay.” I lick my lips.
I glance at JJ, who offers me sincere eyes. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“I think I need to do it by myself.” I suck in a breath.
“Of course.” He gives my fingers a squeeze. “I’ll be here if you need me.”
CHAPTER 44
IVY THOMPSON
It takes me a moment to pluck up the courage to enter Finn’s hospital room. My shaking fingers raise to the door, and I push myself in before his green eyes settle on me. I enter quietly, allowing the door to shut as I walk to the end of his bed.
Finn’s chest shudders as he studies me with dark bags under his eyes and cracked lips. It hurts to see him like this, a spear to the chest, but something inside me is pulling me back.
“Ivy,” he croaks with watery eyes. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”
My lips purse and I look down. His gaze is far too intense for my liking.
“I wish I knew why I did it, but?—”
“You must have known why you did it,” I say, snapping my head back towards him. “Because you continued to lie about it.”
Finn swallows as he watches me. “Ben wasn’t good enough for you.”
“So you decided to make up a lie that made me look like a cheater?”
He curses and covers his hand with the cannula hanging out the back. “No, I didn’t do it to hurt you. You deserved better.I wanted better for you, but my plan backfired. I just wanted someone who actually cared for you.”
I sniffle and fold my arms over my chest. “Why didn’t you talk to me about it?”
“I tried,” he admits. “But you thought I was just trying to cause a rift between you.”
My eyes narrow at him. “You brought it up once, and you never said anything about him not being good enough for me. All you said was that you didn’t like it, and I decided to ignore you because that’s not a good enough reason to break up with someone.”
I stare back at my brother as he sinks into the pillows.
“What’s the real reason you wanted us to break up?”
Finn’s mouth remains closed for a moment, and I tilt my head at him.
“Tell me, Finn.”
He heaves a heavy breath. “We went to a party on the other side of town, and he thought he was being clever and sneaky, but I saw him flirting and getting close with other girls,” he admits, his gaze lowering. “I don’t know what else happened, but I didn’t like it. I confronted him about it, and we almost got into a fight, but he said what he was doing was friendly and that he loved you. I hated his guts after that.”
I flinch from his words. “Why didn’t you just tell me that instead?”
“Because I knew you wouldn’t have believed me. You would have assumed I was only saying it to get between the two of you.”
My forehead creases at his words. “I would have believed you because you’re my brother.”
His lips part, inhaling a breath. “I went about it in the wrong way.”
I don’t respond, sweeping my gaze over his face.
