Page 100 of The Quiet After The Fall

I shrug. “No reason for you to apologize. It’s over and done.”

“They’re not that different, are they? Our moms.” She’s quiet for a minute, playing with the buttons on my Henley. “Two completely different women who both managed to shrink themselves down for the same horrible man. Richard’s gotten what he wanted for years. Two women who’d rather disappear than challenge him, my mom into shame and yours making herself so small that she’s barely recognizable.”

It hurts to admit that she’s spot-on. “Yeah. I never thought about it that way.”

“And now he’s trying to do the same to me.”

“He’s not going to get the chance.” I tighten my arms around her, letting years of fury cut through my exhaustion. “I mean it, Sawyer. Whatever he thinks he’s buying with that check, it’s not happening. Not to you.”

“I know.” She presses into my shoulder and a stray tear slides down my chest. “I was so close to being exactly that with Owen. Small and quiet and grateful, taking whatever pieces of him he decided to give me, never asking for more because I was scared I didn’t deserve it. It’s funny, my mom warned me that I should be careful not to shrink myself around you. Not to lose pieces of myself in this thing we have. But what she doesn’t realize is I already spent two years doing that. I just didn’t see it until now.”

“You’re nothing like either of them,” I say. “You’ve always been my Thorne.”

She laughs. “You bring out that side of me, I guess.”

“Nah, it’s always there.”

Her arms tighten around me, and I rub her back until I feel some of the tension leave her body. “We’re ending this. Not just for us, but for your mom, my mom, every single person my family’s ever made feel like nothing.”

“I believe you.” Her lips meet mine, soft and featherlight, and I kiss her back, savoring the moment.

We stay like that for a while, holding each other, kissing slowly and leisurely while the sun sinks low outside, filling the guest house with soft amber light. It feels so fucking nice. So ordinary.

Then my phone buzzes on the table and I know before looking that whoever’s on the other line is going to ruin my day.

I reach for it like it’s a live wire.

Ella: Can we talk tonight? In person. It’s important.

My stomach drops. Sawyer must feel me tense beneath her because she pulls back to search my face.

“What is it?”

I turn the phone toward her and watch her read it, seeing the same dread I’m feeling settle over her features too.

“What are you going to do?” she asks.

“I don’t know.” As the words leave my lips, I’m already planning what I want to say to Ella tonight. There’s no more hiding, no more lies. “But I want to be as honest as I can.”

I text her back and tell her I’ll meet her at her place.

Chapter 26

Knox

When I get to Ella’s apartment, I check my surroundings in the mirrors and on the street before getting out of the car. Can’t be too careful. She opens the door before I even knock and I’m taken aback by how different she looks.

She’s not dressed up, no makeup, hair pulled back, but it’s not even that. It’s the gray circles under her eyes and her slouched posture. I haven’t seen her look like this since the accident.

“Your face,” she gasps. “What happened?”

“I—”

“Actually,” she says, shaking her head. “I don’t need to know.”

“Okay,” I say, drawing out the word. She’s most definitely not the Ella I know right now. That Ella would be fawning over me, grabbing an ice pack and ibuprofen.

“Thanks for coming.” She steps back to let me in, arms wrapped around herself. “I wasn’t sure you would.”