Played

A child taken. A woman that got away. And a man so afraid of his own future that he ruins it before it starts…until his past saves him.
As I get ready to celebrate my birthday with friends, I try to keep Ethan at arm’s length, not letting him know that it’s my special day. Trudy, my bestie, thinks that I’m an idiot for not telling him, but then that would be two lies that I’ve been keeping from him. I made a mistake and if he finds out, he won’t ever forgive me. At first, I didn’t tell him, because I wasn’t vested in the relationship. He’s never introduced me to his family or his friends, like I’m some precious stone that he wants all to himself, but when he tells me he loves me, I get a look from Trudy that I can no longer ignore. And when I tell him, I soon learn that it’s the worst mistake I could have ever made…or the best?
Sure, Freya is successful, in a manner of speaking. But to my da, she’ll just be another lass, and I don’t want to be that low on the family totem pole. It’s lonely being down here, as much as I care for her. And it’s not like I don’t want to show her off. She’s beautiful, smart, hard-working, and so entrepreneurial, she could be another billionaire one day, but I don’t want to see that look of disappointment on either my da’s or Freya’s face. My feelings for her I’ve kept hidden, until I find out it’s her birthday, and learn that she kept it a secret. Once I tell her I love her, a strange look crosses her face, and then she hits me with something that I never could have imagined.
…and I run.
…But I soon learn that I can’t hide for long. And when her name pops up a year later, the tables are turned, hearts are broken, things precious to us are taken, and a tailspin of lies turn into dark reality
…until someone sees the barrel of a gun in their face.