All this time, I've been tricked into thinking that what you made me feel was real love. Now I know this isn't what it's supposed to be like... to feel like your heart is constantly being torn in two. If it is, why on earth would anyone want to be in love?

Butterflies aren't beautiful. They're a warning sign.

It wasn't too long ago when I pondered how I could have stopped myself from experiencing the inevitable heartbreak. How naive of me to ever think that I could have any control over such a thing. It never mattered what I did or tried, how I changed or adapted... he would always find a way to destroy my heart the moment I felt loved.

I never thought I would be in a position contemplating what was worse: Not knowing why the love of my life disappeared in the middle of the night only to return eighteen months later and still evade his reasoning for why. Or, learning part of his reasoning for why and having him show up, only to act like he had no idea who I was.

"I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you, Dylan."

I'm sorry. What the fuck did he just say? Was it possible for Hunter to have an exact replica of him walking around on earth? No - because this wasn't some alternate universe where we were all insane.

I was far past the state of confusion to form words, let alone a proper thought regarding everything that was happening. There he was. The guy who I fell in love with, who I admitted to still having those feelings for after all this time, standing right in front of me, pretending as if we were meeting for the first time.

Delilah elbowed my side.

I turned my head and whispered under my breath, "What?"

"You look like a deer caught in the headlights. Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

I gave her a short nod, for whatever reason I did not know considering I was far from "okay".

"I understand if you're nervous." She ran her hand up and down my arm, the same act of comforting she would do when we were younger. "I'm sure this is all quite a bit for you right now."

That was putting it lightly.

"Well, I'm Ethan. I'm sure Delilah has gone on and on about me," Ethan joked, extending his hand for me to shake. "But I'll save you the pains of having to tell me your life story until later on."

I was grateful for his remark, far more than he could have possibly ever known due to the fact that I was having trouble forming basic words. Standing side by side, I realized how oddly similar both Ethan and Hunter looked; a surprising revelation considering they were not related by blood. Ethan had similar dark hair and blue eyes but was slightly shorter with a wider build. He radiated a sense of warmth and light, and it was evident from a glance in Delilah's direction how in love with her he was.

I could not remember the last time I had felt this anxious, where I was unable to form words. My chest felt constricted and my airways were tight. I needed to step back from this, sort my head out for a second. Although, it would probably take years to actually get through this all. I parted my lips to speak, knowing I had to say something besides "what" and hum in response but was interrupted before I had the chance.

"Ethan tells me you also live in Los Angeles," Hunter said, forcing a smile. "I'm surprised we've never run into each other before."

If someone took a knife to my chest right now, I was sure it would hurt a whole lot less compared to what he was doing to me. He was taking advantage of my surprise; perpetrating his scheme of lies further.

"I think Charlie Adams moved down there not too long ago! You still keep in touch with him?"

Hunter cleared his throat. "Not really," he replied to his brother.

"That's a shame. He was a good kid. How long has it been?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "A couple of years, I guess."

My eyes widened hearing his response. Years? How could have it been years since they saw each other? If my memory served me well - which at this point I was questioning my own sanity so I couldn't be a hundred percent certain - only a couple weeks had passed since that morning outside my apartment where the two almost caused a fistfight in the hallway. Not to mention the months of dating Charlie while he lived at Hunter's apartment.

How far deep did his web of lies truly go? What was next? That Hunter had an evil twin the entire time?

Breathing was becoming more of a chore than a way to sustain my life. I looked at Delilah, forced a smile and somehow built the courage to say, "I should call Diane."

"Oh, of course! You can use the bedroom down the hall and on the left if you'd like some privacy."

I took her up on the offer, excused myself, and hurried out of the living room. Shutting the bedroom door behind me, I pressed my back against the wood, letting out a deep breath. I closed my eyes, trying to calm the rapid beat of my heart that felt like it was about to burst through my chest at any moment.

The last thing I wanted to do right now was count.

Not over this.

Not over him.

I looked down at my cell phone and wondered what the hell I was going to do. I couldn't stay here; not with him around. I needed to call Diane and tell her I was coming back.

This was all too much. As much as my head screamed at me to stay, my heart was aching. I needed to remove myself, just for a day or two, unscramble my thoughts and come back.

I moved away from the door and took in my new surroundings of the current room I was in. An iron-wired bed was placed in the centre of the room, with two matching dark stained nightstands on either side. The window was covered with a flowing white curtain that matched the duvet on the bed.

The wooden floorboards creaked with each step I took. I wondered if Delilah had intentionally left the original floors in during their remodelling due to the noise; it would definitely make it harder for Lily to sneak out when she was older. And if she was anything like her mother, I'm sure she'd have a bit of a rebellious streak to her.

Framed photos were scattered on the top of a dresser, along with perfumes and some pieces of jewellery. A corkboard was centred on the wall above it, pinned with what I assumed were memories. From concert tickets, to love notes written from one to the other, to more images of the three family members, I felt it painted a perfect picture of their relationship.

There was one image that caught my eye in particular. It was a picture of Delilah and me making funny faces at the camera during one of our infamous nights together where we would bake and watch a romantic comedy. I used to love spending that time with her. I could see the flour scattered across our clothing and practically hear our mother screaming at us. But we never cared. We were having too much fun. 

Then it dawned on me.

That was the last image the two of us ever took together before she left.

I had gone through almost seven years with my sister not being around. Years of not knowing her relationship with Ethan and never getting the chance to meet Lily or watch her grow up. I lost all of that.

Hunter was the one that kept her hidden from me all this time. He was the one that knew the pain it caused me. I had my sister back and I wasn't going to let someone like Hunter ruin that for me.

There was no way in hell I would let him ruin another chance for me and my sister. I needed to call Diane and tell her I was staying. I wasn't going to be run out by Hunter Grayson.

I glanced down at my phone, searching for Diane's number as there was a knock on the door. "Come in," I called out, surprising myself for a brief moment that I was even able to form words, given my current track record for the past while.

The door opened but my focus was pulled elsewhere to see my sister walk in.

However, much to my own unfortunate stroke of constant bad luck, it wasn't my sister at all.

"Angel," he said, closing the door behind him. "We need to talk."

"Oh, so you do know who I am," I snapped. The way he casually entered the room caused a fire of rage to burn deep inside. "What the fuck was that all about out there?"

"Please, just listen to me for a second." He spoke softly as he slowly made his way towards where I stood. "I need you to do something for me."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I took a hesitant step backward as he approached - I didn't trust him, especially while standing in a closed-off room. "What could that possibly be?"

"I need you to lie," he said softly. "I need you to go along with it and pretend that we've never met before."

01/22/22

& on january 22nd, normie posted the 22nd chapter, aka the start of the sequel.

... plus you know (01x22)-2-2=18 ... the date works OK just let me have this one

It's my taylor-swift-easter-egg-wannabe era. i'm warning y'all now.

buckle up my angels... it's going to be quite the ride.