Truths That Hurt More Than Lies

Tessa was gone.

Ethan was gone.

And I was standing in the wreckage of a night that had destroyed everything.

My hands were shaking.

My breath was uneven.

Because I knew—this wasn't just another mistake.

This was a turning point.

One we wouldn't come back from.

I should have been thinking about Ethan.

I should have been figuring out how to fix this.

But all I could think about?

Was the fact that Tessa had looked me in the eye and walked away.

I turned, my vision blurring as I stumbled away from the street.

Away from the flashing red-and-blue lights.

Away from the wreckage of everything I had left.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out with numb fingers.

A text.

From Tessa.

Tessa: I didn't have a choice, Liv.

My stomach twisted.

A sharp, visceral kind of pain.

Because that?

That was a lie.

She had a choice.

She just hadn't chosen us.

I didn't reply.

I couldn't.

Because what was there to say?

That she had broken me?

That I would never forgive her for this?

She already knew that.

And maybe?

Maybe that was why she had sent the message at all.

Because she needed to justify what she had done.

But nothing she said could change the truth.

And the truth?

It hurt more than any lie ever could.

I barely made it back to my apartment before I collapsed onto the couch.

My head was spinning.

My chest was too tight.

I needed to do something.

I needed to fix this.

But how?

How the hell was I supposed to get Ethan back?

My phone buzzed again.

I closed my eyes.

Because this time?

I knew who it was.

And I wasn't ready for him.

I exhaled, forcing myself to answer.

"Ethan?"

Silence.

Then—

"You, okay?" His voice was low, rough.

Like he had spent the last hour fighting a war.

I swallowed.

"No."

Another beat of silence.

Then—

"I'll get out of this," he murmured. "I promise."

My throat tightened.

Because that?

That was another lie.

I exhaled, gripping the phone tighter.

"Ethan… Tessa's the one who turned you in."

Silence.

But not the kind that felt empty.

The kind that felt like a fuse had just been lit.

Then—

"I know."

I blinked. Froze.

"What?"

Ethan let out a breath—slow, careful, too controlled.

"She warned me."

My heart skipped.

"What do you mean, she warned you?"

A long pause.

Then, finally—

"She told me if I didn't stop, I'd end up here."

My stomach dropped.

Because suddenly?

I wasn't sure if Tessa had betrayed us at all.

Or if she had just tried to save us from ourselves.

I let out a slow breath.

"She tried to stop you."

Ethan exhaled.

"But I didn't listen."

My chest tightened.

Because neither had I.

Neither of us had wanted to hear the truth.

And now?

We were paying the price.

Ethan's voice was quiet when he spoke next.

"I never wanted this for you, Liv."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"That's the problem, Ethan." My voice broke. "You never wanted this for me. But you never stopped it, either."

Silence.

He didn't argue.

Because he couldn't.

Because it was the truth.

And truths like that?

They cut deeper than any lie ever could.

Finally, Ethan spoke.

"I'll get out of this."

I let out a bitter laugh.

"I'm not sure that's a promise you can keep."

His breath hitched.

But he didn't disagree.

Because he knew.

He knew.

And for the first time since this started?

We stopped lying to ourselves.

Because who were we kidding?

This wasn't a fight we were going to win.

Ethan and Liv finally face the truth—they're in too deep.

Tessa's betrayal isn't as simple as it seemed.

Ethan is stuck, and Liv doesn't know how to save him.

Liv has to make an impossible decision—does she walk away or risk everything for Ethan?