Page 99 of The Truths We Find

Because loving her means losing her.

And right now, losing her is the only way to save her.

Chapter 28

Dani

This can’t be happening. My chest is tight. My head is spinning.

Ten years. Ten fucking years. He held on to this for ten years. Not just Gavin. Sam.

I could kill him. The jury would understand, right? Murder seems… reasonable. A normal reaction to finding out your alleged best friend secretly recorded you having sex and threatened to destroy your life if your boyfriend didn’t break up with you. Bonus points—he’s a hired goon for the same corrupt politician you’re trying to help bring down.

“Dani,” Gavin whispers. His hand brushes against my arm. I flinch and pull away, walking towards the kitchen table, gripping the back of a chair until my knuckles ache. My eyes burn, but I refuse to let the tears fall.

“How could you keep this from me?” I shout at the wall, refusing to look at him.

Gavin inhales deeply. “I was trying to protect you.”

“And you thought abandoning me was protecting me?”

“If it meant keeping that video off the internet, yes. Fuck yes.” His voice cracks. “I know I hurt you. I know I fucked it up. But do you realize how much worse it would’ve been if that video had gone public? We might have stayed together, but you would’ve lost your career. No one would have hired you. I saw the fire in your eyes, Dani. You were twenty-one, passionate, unstoppable. Sam… he was threatening that. I did what I thought I had to do.”

I spin toward him. His eyes are red and glassy. “We could have gone to the police,” I choke out. “We could have stopped him together.”

“He already said he’d release it the second he knew we involved the authorities.”

“You should have told me!” The words tear out of me.

“Sweetheart—” He steps forward. I hold up my hands, cutting him off.

“You… should… have…” My voice breaks. I can’t finish the sentence. The anger, the betrayal, the fear—it’s too much. My knees buckle, and I collapse into a ball on the floor. Shaking, crying, letting it all out. The two men I trusted more than anyone lied to me. Logically, I know Gavin did it to protect me, but logic doesn’t stop the fury, the grief, the humiliation.

Strong arms wrap around me, and I’m pulled against Gavin. He’s stroking my hair, whispering that it’s going to be okay. That I’m safe.

I slam my fists into his chest, over and over, letting out every ounce of rage and pain.

“It’s okay… let it out… let it out,” he repeats.

When my arms have nothing left in them, I press my face into the crook of his neck. His warmth surrounds me, steadying me, giving me the sense of safety I haven’t felt in hours.

I don’t know how long I cried, but at some point, I must have fallen asleep.

When I open my eyes, the room is dark and quiet. Gavin and I are on the dining room floor, wrapped together, noses touching.

“How long have we been here?” I whisper.

“A few hours,” he sighs. “I didn’t want to move you. You looked so peaceful once you fell asleep.” His fingers brush a few strands of hair behind my ear.

“You stayed with me… on the floor… the entire time?” My voice wobbles.

“Of course.”

I sit up, hugging my knees to my chest, and let out the words I’ve been spinning over in my mind. “Someone made a sex tape of me. Of us. And threatened to put it online. And I dated that person. For years. He manipulated me… made me fall in love with him. But it was all a lie. I feel… so disgusting.” I turn my face away from him, afraid he’ll see the shame written across it.

“Hey,” he says softly, tilting my face toward his. “Don’t you dare say that. You are not disgusting. He’s the one who deserves that word. You are the most beautiful, talented, kind person I’ve ever met. And don’t you let him take that from you.”

I swallow hard, my chest tight. “I’m scared.”