I think a bigger part of her hates me more.
But mostly…I think the biggest part of her hates herself.
Not a moment later, she bolts from the pool.
Chapter 28Annalise
No, no, no.
I push through the water and launch myself out of the pool, feet slipping once on the concrete surface before I’m running barefoot across the yard. I don’t care that my tank clings to every inch of me, that my shorts are drenched, that I probably look like a winding billboard for guilt.
Yanking open Tag’s back door, I rush inside, water trailing behind me, my heartbeat hammering in my ears. A second later, I’m in the kitchen, tearing through the cabinets.
Looking for something. Anything. A distraction.
I pull out a tumbler and fill it with sink water, shivering now that I’m doused in air conditioning. Hands shaking around the glass, I bring it to my lips, the liquid sliding down my throat, a cold balm to the inferno ripping through my blood.
My skin tingles from where his hands were.
Everywhere he touched feels raw and tender.
I slam my eyes shut, and guilt sears like acid through cotton, impossible to patch.
I’m a monster.
A traitor.
Alex may have his flaws, but I am far from innocent.
I’m staring at a chip in the plaster wall when Tag sneaks up beside me, causing me to fly out of my skin. “Jesus.” I slam the glass on the counter. “You’re a walking jump scare.”
“And you’re a slow-motion car crash.”
I blink, caught off guard. “What?”
“You heard me.”
He’s not joking. Not smirking. Just watching me with that quiet storm look that only ever comes out when he’s really, truly worried.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, defenses spiking.
“You know exactly what it means.”
“No, Tag. I don’t. Please enlighten me.”
My brother leans against the counter, arms crossed, not taking his eyes off me. “Months ago I said you were playing with fire. Now the fire is a fucking blaze, and you’re not just playing with it, you’re dancing in it.”
I scoff, untucking wet hair from behind my ears to veil the flush on my cheeks. “Don’t—”
“Leave. Your. Boyfriend.” Tag swivels around and presses in until we’re face-to-face, eye to eye. “I saw you out there. With him. And I know that look on your face, Annalise.”
My eyes well with tears, hot and stinging. “What look?”
“The one you get when you’re standing on the edge of something you can’t come back from.”
I stare at him, gut twisting. The guilt sits heavy in my chest, waiting for someone else to say it out loud.
“Alex is all wrong for you. A piece of shit if I’m being honest,” he continues, shaking his head. “I’m worried about you. I love you to death, and I know whatever game you’re playing is going to destroy you.”
