The sunlight playing along the surface of the sea held no glow in Harrison's worried eyes as he tossed a weather-beaten stone across it. The water rippled as it bounced before sinking like Harrison's fading spirit. Meeting with Josephine seemed to be the best idea he had come up with after their break-up. They had not cleared things up as they should have, but there was still time to straighten things out before anything went wrong. Their relationship had not been a long one, but it meant a lot to both of them, so he wanted to take the chance to end it on good terms.

The sound of a car pulling up made him turn to catch Josephine's eye before he turned back to the sea. Taking three deep breaths, he turned and walked over to his car as he watched her park a few feet away.

Harrison had doubts about how everything would go; he wanted to offload his mind before his skull cracked wide-open due to overthinking. He was interested in putting Josephine in his past without feeling guilt or fear about what she could do. He didn't want any more repeats of her threatening people he hung around with or calling his home insistently.

"I knew you would come and speak to me sooner or later. I know you feel the same way that I do; you want us to be together." She gushed as she trotted over to his side and tried to throw her arms around him, but he stepped back. Josephine frowned at his actions but didn't try to come any closer to him.

"Why did you lie to me about your parents?" he folded his arms and met her eye so she could not turn away. He wanted to address the issue with an unbiased mind, to give her a chance even if he didn't believe she deserved it. It took a while for him to notice, but there was no hiding that she was a skilled liar.

"Please, let's not rip the Band-Aid off so quickly, darling." Her smile grew wider as she pushed her hair off her face when she made a move to get closer to him. "I understand you want answers, but if I give them to you when you are like this, you would still be adamant about forgiving me. I need you calm so we can reason together."

Before she could lock her fingers behind his neck, he grabbed her wrist and held her away from him. "This is not the time to bat your eyes at me or give me some act Josephine because I would get in my car right now and never give you another chance to explain yourself. Get serious, start talking."

Everything in the world seemed to halt as they stared at each other in that position, frozen as they tried to guess what the other was thinking. Josephine, with her eyes wide and confused while Harrison stood, his fingers still banded around her wrist. Josephine twisted her arm to break away from his grip, and he let her go. She massaged her wrist, watching him, looking at him oddly, almost calculatingly.

"What is wrong with you?" Clicking her tongue, she threw her hands in the air with frustration, "Okay, I lied. I am not the only one in this world to do it. I have admitted that I made a mistake to you millions of times, but you always go back to the same question. Everyone lies at some point."

"Oh really? You know what, I agree with you. Everyone lies. In fact, I have lied to you sometimes too. Like when I say I am working, but in truth, I don't want to answer your calls. The lie you told wasn't just any lie; it was a manipulative one. You used my love for adopted children for your own gains. There are different forms of lies, and you chose the most hurtful."

Josephine smacked her lip and turned around for a while before swirling to face him, "I lied! Do you want me to scream it in front of every filthy news station I find? Fine. I'll do it, but remember that in the end, I would still be a woman that loves you. I can't change what I did and believe me, I regret it more than anything. All I know for sure is that I love you, Harrison."

"You love me?"

"Yes."

"That's why you went to humiliate Cassandra in her own office."

"Finally," she shrieked, slapping her palms together, "there it is. The reason you are really doing all of this is that you want me out of the picture so you could date that snake in the grass. Ever since our break up, I always see you with her, by her side. At the charity, on the papers."

"Snake in the grass?"

"Yes."

"Well, that snake has been more honest with me than you have been. She tells me she hates my guts. She tells me our relationship confuses her. She tells me her deepest desire is to destroy and lord over my company while I am alive to witness it. She admits when she is wrong. She apologizes when she has made a mistake. If that's how snakes do things, then what cunning mammal should I classify you under?"

"Bastard." She sneered, pushing him firmly away from her, pain toiling behind her eyes. Their meeting was going downhill fast, and he knew it wouldn't end well if his emotions came into it, but he couldn't care any less. He wanted them to discuss this with everything on the table. No secrets and no lies.

"Yes, a bastard with a big point." He grabbed her arms and shook her furiously. Ignoring the fear that flashed in her widened eyes, "Don't you see? I am not mad because you told me a lie. I am mad because as much as you say you regret it, I can't believe you. You stayed on that path for months, manipulating me, left and right."

"I didn't mean for it to turn out that way."

"Really? Let's recap the conversation that ensued after we shared names." He leaned on his car and folded his arm, "I told you that I was deeply touched by what the orphanage was doing for those children. I told you how moved I was by the children and their strengths, then you went on a story rampage about how you were adopted."

"I just wanted to catch your eye. It was wrong but justified. Admit it. If I had not told you that, you wouldn't have given me a second look."

"There is no justification for what you did, Josephine. You were beautiful, with a job and good tastes. Why couldn't that be enough? Okay, forget the past. When were you going to tell me your parents were not your adopted parents? Did you even plan on telling me anything at all?"

"I wanted to, darling, but I didn't know how. I was afraid it was going to end like this."

"What about the other times you played the damsel in distress? Making Cassandra seem like a bully while you were the mess. You completely switched personalities to prevent me from even thinking of breaking things off."

"How many times do I have to say I am sorry for all of it? I know you are upset, but you have to look from my point of view."

"I have, Josephine. Believe it or not, I have thought of all the reasons you made up this awful web of lies, but I still can't bring myself to understand any of it."

"Can't? Or won't?"

"For all, I care... it could be a bit of both. I feel it would be unfair to say I can forgive you only to return to complaining about the same thing over and over again."

"Then why call me here? You could have been clearer on the phone about what you wanted to talk about. You didn't have to get my hopes up in this way. How stupid I am. I dressed and put myself together, thinking we would get the chance to fix things. I would always come running for you, but I won't spend forever trying to convince you."

"You don't have to convince me of anything because you owe me absolutely nothing. The sad thing is I thought this would be easier, and it's not. I did care for you, Josephine. What hurt me the most was that your mother had to tell me about your lie without even noticing she did. That's what really hurt."

Stepping away from her, he turned to the driver's side, yanking his door open; he moved to slide into his car when she called out his name. Tightening his jaw in frustration, he rolled his eyes and slammed the door close before turning to face her. Her eyes looked distant and thoughtful as she assessed him with caution.

"The papers only say so much, but the truth, although hurtful, is always approved. Who kissed who?"

He scoffed and walked over to her. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he rocked on the soles of his shoes and nodded to himself. He had been beating on her repeatedly about being a liar and behaving hypocritically, so he had to be honest. It would be better to give her the details straight, to make sure she never had a doubt in her mind about their situation.

"I kissed her." He nodded, slowly recalling the events of that evening in his mind, "I kissed her. I cannot explain why; she is infuriating, and her attitude towards me is less than appealing, but at that moment, I didn't think about those things. I will not lie to you and say that I cannot forgive you for lying because I can. I can forgive you for the lies, but I can't get back with you."

"Why?"

"Because things changed when you lied. My relationship with Cassandra, if I can even call it that, is okay. We fight and wish each other failure, at least that's what she wishes for me, but it doesn't seem to matter."

She smiled and leaned into him, resting her palm on his chest and smiling up at him with a sly look. "Listen, we had a good relationship. Just give me another chance. This time, the slate is clean, and there are no more lies."

"That's the problem. Our relationship was a big, great lie. The woman I was dating does not match the woman I look at now. I didn't want you perfect, timid, or hanging on my arm. I just wanted you to be with me."

"I am with you."

"Yes, you are with me, but on my part, we are over. I can forgive you, Josephine, but I don't think I can give you the old me you had before. I don't feel the same way towards you, and I won't cheat you by giving you any hope that it will ever be right."

"I don't need you perfect either. I just need you to try us. Don't just throw our relationship under the bus because your feelings are confused. We failed once because of me but now, with no secrets in our way, we can truly try."

Slowly shaking his head, he snaked his palm around her neck and brought her face closer to his. Her eyes were just as they were before, glassy and captivating, but they did nothing to him now. He wasn't completely free, but it was a step forward.

"No."

He walked back to his car, getting into the driver's seat and speeding away from the beach. The last sight of Josephine was from his rear-view mirror with the wind in her hair as she stood, arms folded and rooted to the same spot. He shook his head, turning his eyes to the road as he drove over to his friend's house.

Mark didn't live too far from the beach, his apartment was located in a central area. Harrison drove by the streets, his mind scattered with different thoughts. Parking his car in front of Mark's home, he pushed open his car door them moved to the house so he could ring the bell. Nervously he massaged the centre of his right palm, turning his head left and right as he waited for the creak of the opening door.

"Man, I just got a break in a case and can finally get some sleep, so if I allow you in do you promise to keep quiet and let me sleep."

Although he knew Mark couldn't see him, he cocked his head and gently smacked his hand against the door. "Open this door, or this bell keeps ringing, and you can kiss your precious sleep goodnight."

Mark groaned, and Harrison heard the lock twist from the other side as the door slowly slid open. Mark leaned against the door, looking towards his car then back at him with tired eyes.

"Looking at you right now, I can clearly see that you need a drink."

With a small smile, he gently brushed past Mark and moved into the house.