19. Out of hand

"There you are, babe. You won't believe what Tyler is saying—that you don't l…"

Tanner cuts her off before she can finish. "Taylor, I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

She stares at him blankly, her mouth opening and closing without a word coming out.

Finally, she bursts out, "So why didn't you tell me that earlier?! Why didn't you tell me yourself___ 'No, Taylor, it's not you I'm in love with, but your damn brother'?

What did he say or do to make you change your mind? Because he can do anything to ruin everything!"

Rachael, overhearing, interjects, going upstairs, "Excuse me, hold on. What do you mean by he doesn't love you but your brother?" She steps closer, her brows furrowing in confusion.

Joe, who had also been listening, freezes in place, his face pale.

"He wants to leave me because he thinks he's in love with Tyler, not me!" Tay cries out, her voice breaking as tears stream down her face.

Their father walks into the scene, his voice booming, "I'm sorry, what?! Okay, okay, everyone calm down. Why don't we sit down and talk about this from the start? Because I can't grasp a thing!"

Tay doesn't seem to hear him.

She turns her attention back to Tanner, her eyes blazing. "You say it's not me you love but my brother, right?"

Tanner says nothing, his silence deafening.

And then Tay drops a bombshell that leaves Tyler frozen in shock, something he never thought she'd reveal—the secret they had kept just between the two of them.

"…But did you know that he was fooling around with you all that time before you came here?

When you thought you were texting with me, it was him, using me, playing with you!

I never messaged you; it was him all along! You think he's perfect for you, but all he does is mess around and ruin lives, just like he messed with yours! So yes, you were, and you are, just one of his games. Thank me later!"

Tanner's face darkens. "What are you talking about, Taylor?"

"Think Tanner think!!" Tayler snaps, her voice rising. "Why don't you ask yourself why you never called each other , no voice mails , no video calls , nothing! Just texting!

I only fell in love with you after I saw you here. I never messaged you, I never knew you, he told me about this after you were here and that's because he was desperate for something to cover up his dirty little secrete!

I wasn't going to do it by the way, but after I saw you, it's like something just consumed me, the desire to be close to you, so I accepted to do it."

Without sparing Tyler a glance, Tanner turns on his heel and storms back to the guest room, his body trembling with anger. Inside, he begins packing to leave. This. This is why I don't let people get close. He screams inside.

His breath comes in ragged gasps, his mind spinning.

Memories of his childhood, of betrayal and broken trust, crash over him.

Every person he ever cared for had made him feel like a fool. And now, even these twins, as young as they are, had toyed with his emotions.

Unable to contain his anger, Tanner punches the wall repeatedly until his knuckles are raw and bleeding.

His chest tightens, and he struggles to breathe, his vision blurring.

Meanwhile, Tyler stands frozen, guilt gnawing at him.

His mind races.

I should've told him the truth. I betrayed him, just like his family. He's never going to trust me again. He's going to hate me, just like he hates them. He's never going to talk about me, just like he doesn't talk about them.

Tay, noticing her brother's silent tears, feels a pang of regret. "He was going to find out sooner or later. And now that everything's out in the open, I thought it was better he knows. We're even now, Tyler. You started this yourself. I'm pretty sure he's going to leave. We should let him go so we can forget all this drama. Things can go back to normal, like before, when he wasn't in our lives," she says, her voice softening as she realizes the weight of her words.

She has never seen her brother like this, not even once , and also the bond they share as twins overpowers her anger and feeling of being betrayed.

But Tyler shakes his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "You can go back to normal, Taylor, but for me, without him, there's nothing normal."

Ignoring her protests, he walks toward Tanner's room, determined to explain.

"You think he's going to listen to you after this?" Taylor calls after him, but her voice falters.

Before Tyler can reach Tanner's room, their father stops him. "I need both of you downstairs. Now."

"Not now, Dad. I need to talk to Tan—" Tyler begins, but his father cuts him off sharply.

"I don't want to repeat myself. Both of you. Downstairs. Now!"

Reluctantly, Tyler complies.

In the living room, their mother paces back and forth, her face lined with anger and disappointment. Tay sits on the couch, still sobbing.

"How could you do this to your poor sister?!" their mother shouts at Tyler. "She's been struggling to find happiness, and you rip it away from her?!"

Tyler doesn't respond. His mind is elsewhere, desperate to get back to Tanner and make things right.

"All you ever do is cause trouble. Is there anything on this planet you can do right?" his mother adds, her voice sharp with disdain.

I can love him right, Tyler thinks bitterly.

Their father's voice booms, cutting through the tension. "Sit down! I want to hear everything—from the very beginning! This has got to be a joke! I knew something was off between Tanner and you. I saw the tension but didn't say anything because it seemed impossible. And now this?!"

Their mother chimes in, her voice shaking. "What shocks me is that you knew Tanner before he came here. And you dared to play tricks on him?! How could you?!"

"I didn't fo—" Tyler begins, but his father cuts him off.

"No excuses! I want the full story, now!"

Tyler sighs, knowing he has no choice. Reluctantly, he begins recounting everything, from the very beginning, his voice filled with regret as he remembers every detail of how they got to this point.