Page 161 of The Jealous Girl

I stopped.

A small rueful laugh escaped my lips.

‘What?’ Ryan asked from the doorway behind me.

I shook my head. ‘Nothing. Just an old habit that it’s time to break.’

I turned my back to the kettle and faced him. ‘Say what you came to say.’

Ryan swallowed.

‘I’m sorry—’ his eyes met mine ‘—for everything.’

I didn’t respond.

‘I didn’t know how to handle things,’ he said. ‘I didn’t want to hurt you.’

His words landed heavily.

‘You did anyway.’

He flinched slightly. Good. A flicker of satisfaction ran through me at his discomfort.

‘I know.’

Another pause, longer this time.

‘My dad’s life was at stake. Mum’s too probably,’ he said. ‘There was no way of knowing what Charlotte would do if I didn’t comply.’

I held his gaze.

‘I had no way out,’ he added.

‘So, you just left.’

He shook his head. ‘You make it sound like it was easy. It wasn’t. I didn’t want to pull away from you. I had to. I was protecting my family. I thought I was doing the right thing.’

‘For whom?’

‘Everyone.’

I tipped my head. ‘What about me? Protecting your family meant you allowed them to frame me.’

‘I didn’t know about that.’

‘But, when I got arrested, you still didn’t come forward.’

‘I thought⁠—’

‘You thought I’d done it? Been part of the sales? Stolen the money?’

‘I knew you hated Charlotte. Mum.’ He shook his head. ‘I thought maybe you’d found out what was going on and seen a way to get back at them.’

‘You thought I was capable of that?’ I closed my eyes. ‘Of course you did,’ I said sadly. ‘Because you thought I was capable of murder, too.’

‘How could I have imagined that Mum⁠—’

My eyes flew open. ‘But you could imagine that I would?’