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"I swear to God, i have no idea what you’re talking about" Tears strea back to Sottero after the school told " He doesn’t turn back to look at !"

He turns quickly, his eyes burning like blue flames In a low tense voice he warns, "Don’t lie to rowls the words at me My heart pounds harder in h I want to run "Sohard, I look hi to anyone about you I sure as hell didn’t tell Sophia Sottero!" I’ in his face He doesn’t flinch He doesn’t back away "She’s a two-faced bitch I can’t stand her That’s the truth" Cole shakes his head ever so slightly, like he still thinks I’ I lean closer so we’re nose to nose "I have never lied to you Go ahead and think whatever you fucking want, but you’re deluding yourself"

"You had nothing to do with Sophia? Nothing to do with the paper? Come on, Anna How foolish do you think I a this with Sottero fro around? You think I didn’t see hi for whatever she needed to seal her case"

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t send anyone to follow you!"

He continues like I didn’t speak, "I didn’t touch her I never hurt her Do you knohy she did this? Do you know?" I flinch when he yells in er That Tiffany’s ring in the safe was hers The night I gave it to her, she fucking ran it over with her car Want to knohy, Lamore? Want to knohy your boss rippednaht I still had h to think she loved me" My jaw drops as horror bubbles up intobox, the one that I saas Sophia’s She used him She rejected him after his family disowned him My God The devastation from that betrayal is strewn across his face It was too thick to hide

"You think I helped her?" I can’t breathe Soes as he speaks I finally understand what he’s been through, why I couldn’t get close to him Sophia broke him His family shattered him and Sophia destroyed whatever hopes reet close to anyone

"Stop acting now, Anna I applaud your efforts You were very convincing I admit it, I fell for it I fell hard for you" His eyes narrow as his voice changes Instead of anger, it’s laced with apathy "So tell et close to me and stab me in the back? One mil? Two?"

I stare at him Tears overflow from my eyes and continue to fall in a silent strea that’s happening to hi to say, any plea that would make him hear me His eyes burn into me as they slide over my skin with scorn

I don’t answer hiht so," he says It feels like he hit me with a bat

His words knock s, but I don’t look back The fact that he can even think that makes me sick There’s no reconciliation Not this time Not for us Sophia Sottero decimated any chance we had She fucked with his o and she stole his life’s work today

I findhow this happened Sophia Sottero was everything I wanted to be I said as ed when I said it He knehat she hat she was capable of, and I was sputtering like an idiot… talking about od No wonder he thought I helped her I couldn’t blame him If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t trust anyone either I couldn’t And after this, I didn’t know if I ever could I’d been lied to and used,the straw that cracked the back of the fa back, I stare at a destroyedat the sea The hips his dark hair, his wet clothing clings to his body, but he doesn’t care I watch Cole--I see thea hollow shell of what he once was and I vow that I’ll destroy Sophia Sottero for everything she’s done to hiiveness, so neither will she