Chapter forty-three: The Truth Comes Out

O L I V I A

I heard the front door open and I hastily scrambled up to lock mine. It was probably Sam unless Josh got off work before her. It was Monday so I placed my bets on the former.

"Liv?" Someone knocked on the door softly a while later. "Hon, please open the door."

So it was Sam. A crushing disappointment washed over me and stole my voice and I realized I was subconsciously still waiting for Kaison to knock on my door. What had he done to me?

"Liv?" She called again, louder this time. Maybe if I didn't answer she would go away.

"Liv??"

"Olivia?" She persistently kept going. "I know you're in there, I saw your dishes."

I cursed internally.

"Go away!" I managed.

"It's not what you think," she said placatingly.

My brain short-circuited. Did she have a multiple-personality disorder?

That or the pregnancy hormones are crazy.

"Not what I think?" I yelled incredulously, pissed off by the train of my thoughts and her supposed words of reassurance. "Are you kidding me, Samantha?"

"Just talk to him-"

I got up angrily. "I did!"

"Liv," she adopted a soothing tone, "Just open the door."

"That's my life now," I ranted, drowning in self-pity. "Pathetic. That's how I feel, falling for a guy who broke me once already. How naiv-"

"Olivia!" She cut me off mid-rant, dropping all signs of peace. "Open the fucking door!"

"No," I said decisively.

"I already have 'Kill Kaison' on my to-do list," she warned. "Don't make me break down your door, too."

"Oh, no you don't." I groaned, hurrying to open the door. She had done it once and she was not doing it again. I unlocked it and soon as she heard the click of the lock opening, she pushed her way in.

"Why the hell is it so dark?" She complained. "What are you, a bat?"

"Careful," I deadpanned. "Bats turn into vampires. Don't tempt me to feed on your blood."

"You wouldn't," she laughed evilly, "I had a lot of garlic in my lunch."

I shrugged. "I'm resistant."

Her lips twitched with momentary humor before she shook herself.

"Olivia," she began seriously.

"Don't start with me." I glared at her. "Enough is enough."

"Fine. Tell me where the fuck you've been!" She hit my arm. "Griffin and I have been worried sick!"

"London," I deadpanned. "You knew that."

"Bitch, you could've at least replied to our texts!" She scolded. "Do you have any idea how crazy afraid I was that you had done something to yourself?!"

"I would never," I said fiercely, catching her drift.

"I know," she sighed, "But I was still worried. I feared the worst."

"I got that," I said dryly.

"Tell Griffin you're back," she said, sitting down on my bed.

"I will," I said, falling back. "Tomorrow."

"Okay." She paused. "Liv, please hear me out."

"No," I hissed, keeping a handle on my temper. "Not about Kaison."

"You don't know the full story," she protested.

"He told you?" I asked.

She nodded. "I got it out of him."

I gulped. "I don't wanna hear it," I told her, fighting off the urge to know. "Unless it's directly from him."

"You're making a huge mistake," she pleaded. "He's an idiot. He won't tell you anything. You need to make a leap of faith."

"No." I shook my head. "The mistake was to be okay with not forcing him to talk when my gut told me to. This time, I'm listening to it. As for the leap of faith, I made it when I decided to give him a second- no, third chance. There are still two weeks to go. I will wait."

"Olivia, this goes far deeper than you know." she tried.

"Maybe." I exhaled, steeling my nerves. "But I won't be talked into anything."

"You're already feeling miserable." She eyed me. "You've not been sleeping well either."

"Jet lag," I said drily, making my way to the kitchen. "Turbulence."

"Liv," she followed me, "You and I both know it's not just that."

"Sam, seeing someone I love kiss someone else did this to me," I articulated blatantly. "Especially because he didn't have any defense. Are you happy now?"

"Are you sure you're making the right decision?" She asked warily, ignoring my remark.

"I don't know," I answered, pouring myself a glass of water.

"He needs you," she stated. "And you need him."

"I do," I admitted, gulping down a few mouthfuls to quench my thirst. "Let's just hope he needs me just as much as I need him."

* * * * *

I had met Griffin and had sat quietly as he lectured me on responsibility. George had come to my rescue and calmed him down, hauling him away. We all spent a few days together and on the first of the new month, I finally started going to work again.

Things were going fine except for the unshakeable dreary feeling in me. I had been dealing with it fine, though. I kept smiling and avoided sleeping so I wouldn't wake up in cold sweat. I had less sleep, but I was functioning as well as ever.

The week went by like that. Me overworking myself and faking smiles. I found out that Josh had bought Sam a cat as a pre-moving-in present. Sweet, if I said so myself. Sam had almost completely moved in with him at that point. When I had asked her how she knew I was home if she no longer lived in our apartment, she had told me that she had told the guard to keep watch. I could only gape.

When I thought that the days of Sam and Griffin forcing me to talk were finally over, something unexpected happened. Josh cornered me on Saturday evening. Sam was taking a nap since she was exhausted and I was fixing dinner.

"We need to talk," Josh stated, leaning against the fridge. I paused what I was doing to look at him.

"Okay?" I said uncertainly. I had no idea what that was about. Or maybe I did and I didn't want to admit it.

"How long has it been since you've slept?" He questioned.

I raised my eyebrows defensively. "Excuse me?"

"That concealer isn't fooling anyone, Liv."

I had a feeling.

Wait. He knows what concealer is?

Well, duh. He's Samantha's boyfriend.

I shrugged uncaringly, shaking off the irrelevant thoughts. "I'm sleeping just fine." 

"You know that the walls in the apartment are quite thin, right?" He raised an eyebrow. "We can hear you cry sometimes."

I held in a retort about how the hearing worked both ways. I doubted he would appreciate that.

I sighed in defeat. "Josh, just get to the point."

"Look," he began. "I don't know what happened this time, but I don't think you know what happened before."

Intriguing.

"Yeah?" I challenged.

"Do you know what happened all those years ago?" He questioned.

I glared at him but he just nodded encouragingly.

"Kai cheated on me," I forced out. The words tasted like bile.

He shook his head, his lips curved downwards in a tangible frown. "No."

I knew it!

"I saw it with my own eyes, Joshua." I stood my ground, hoping for some minor details that would help fill in the blanks.

"It was my fault," he said.

Shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.

I laughed without humor. "I appreciate your effort to cheer me up. I suggest you go and keep Sam company since she might wake up any moment now."

"I'm trying to fix something I should've fixed long ago," he told me, his eyes pleading. "Please, Olivia."

I rolled my eyes. "What could you possibly have done to-"

"I talked him into it," he blurted out.

I froze.

"What?" I asked sharply. He winced.

"I talked him into kissing Chelsea," he said slowly, staring at the ground.

It took everything in my power to not grab him and sit his ass on the burning hot stove.

I took a deep calming breath.

"Explain," I demanded.

"Sure," he exhaled.

Silence.

"I'm listening," I said forcefully.

He swallowed. "Right. So, um . . . "

"Joshua!" I prompted impatiently.

"I'm trying to frame this right!" He exclaimed.

"Just spit it out!" I cried in exasperation.

"He kissed her to make you jealous," he spat out. "There! I said it!"

"What?" My eyebrows knit together. "Why would he do that?"

"Because I talked him into it." He groaned self-deprecatingly. "He was tired of you not paying him enough attention. He thought you had stopped loving him. I thought of this genius way to fix it: jealousy."

"He wouldn't." I shook my head. My voice wavered slightly. "Kai would never agree to it."

"He didn't," he agreed. "Even though he was drunk, he wasn't okay with it. I told you, I talked him into it. Gave him an example and all. And the motivation of getting your love back was enough for him to act on that."

Except he never lost my love. Oh my God, we have communication issues.

"Then why wouldn't he tell me?" I asked feebly, clutching the counter of the island. "Why would he let me think that he cheated?"

He swallowed. "It's not my place to say."

"The fuck," I cursed, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from falling. Every bit of resistance left in me shattered. "Tell me."

"I'm sorry." He bowed his head. "I'm the reason behind this wreck and I sincerely apologize."

"Why are you telling me all of this now?" I snapped to keep myself from breaking. "After all these years?"

"He made me promise," he replied guiltily. 

My eyes widened and the dormant spark of anger that I had been nursing inside me flared to a fucking flame, raging to devour anything and everything. "He what?!"

Josh recoiled.

"Kaison made me promise I wouldn't tell you," he explained. He looked pale. "But I can't stand seeing you guys like this anymore. I messed up the best thing that has ever happened to him. But, Liv, I need to fix it too. He might not consider me his friend anymore, but he's still pretty much my best mate. I wish he could forgive me, but I understand. It's not something one can forgive."

"Josh--"

"No," he cut me off, his voice heavy. Brave. "I deserve this."

A thought occurred to me.

"Does Sam know?" I asked suddenly. "Because if she finds out-"

"I do."

My head whipped to the source of the noise. My mouth opened and then closed. Sam was standing by the door of her bedroom, listening. She hugged her cardigan close to her body as if it would protect her from whatever the fuck was unfolding before her. God knew how long she had been there.

Then I registered what she had said and I felt the betrayal jab at me ruthlessly.

"What?" I whispered.

This time the tears escaped.

"Liv, I'm so sorry-" She took a step in my direction but I reflexively took one back. She cringed, halting her approach, and looked at me with eyes pleading with me to understand.

Understand what? My best friend has been lying to me.

"No." I squeezed my eyes shut. "This has to be a nightmare."

"I'm so sorry," I heard her say. She sounded on the verge of tears herself.

"How long?" I managed to ask. I didn't have the heart to look at her. I felt backstabbed.

"Liv, I-"

"How. Long. Samantha?" I demanded. I needed to know. 

"He told me a few months after your breakup," she replied. She was definitely crying. Well, that made the two of us.

For almost six years.

My heart bled.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" I asked pathetically. "Why? You saw me break down, be miserable and lose myself and you still didn't tell me? I trusted you, Sam. You were supposed to be there for me."

She had known for six years. She had had a million opportunities to tell me, and she had not. She had seen me suffer, known my medicine, and yet deprived me of it.

"I was," she cried. "I wanted to tell you, Liv. I did. He just made me promise-"

"-that you wouldn't," I completed her statement for her. I let out a humorless chuckle, opening my eyes and wiping my cheeks. "That fucking bastard."

And him. I am going to fucking kill him.

"I'm sorry," she said again. Josh had walked over to her and was cradling her petite frame, giving her the support she so badly needed. His eyes were filled with concern as he looked down at her in his arms. That reminded me of her fragile state and I worked to clear my head.

I couldn't stress her out. It wasn't good for her. She didn't need it. She did what Kai had asked her to. It wasn't her secret to tell. Fine. I'd deal with the guilty myself. But for now . . .

"I forgive you," I forced out. She sobbed harder. I sighed, walking over to her with some effort. "It's okay." I hugged her. Josh stepped back as she clutched me hard. "It's not your fault."

It's the fault of the bastard who made you promise shit to him. 

"I'm so so sorry Liv," she cried. "I should've told you."

Yeah, damn right you should've. You're not completely off the hook, Sam. This arrangement is temporary.

"Shhh," I rubbed her back. She wasn't supposed to stress at all.

The flame raged in my body, spreading everywhere. It wasn't directed at Sam, but I felt it growing nonetheless as I soothed her. I walked her to the sofa and made her sit down. Josh brought her a glass of water and she gulped it down thirstily.

"You okay, baby?" Josh asked her, obviously worried. She nodded but he didn't look satisfied. I could almost feel his need to comfort her himself so I got up and gave him the opening. He immediately kneeled on the ground in front of her, examining her with keen eyes and soothing her.

Trusting him to take care of her, I made my way to the front door and grabbed my keys. Upon hearing the door being pulled open, the couple's attention focused on me again.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked hoarsely. Her voice had an edge of panic to it.

"I have some business to take care of," I replied vaguely. I gave her a reassuring smile and her face brightened with understanding.

"All the best," she said, smiling wobbly. "Remember, I'm still shipping you."

Right. Kaia.

I laughed weakly. "Thanks."

I walked out, closing the door behind me. For the first time since our breakup, I felt mad. Not helpless, not miserable, not sorry. I just felt mad. Unbridled, unfiltered rage dominated the forefront of my thoughts.

I took purposeful strides, ditching the elevator and fleeting down the stairs.

Today was the day I was going to get answers. I was going to make sure of that. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A/N: I don't even know what I'm doing at this point lmao

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All my love,
xoxo.