The Fall of Bradley Reed (Seasons of Revenge, #3)

by Morgan Elizabeth

People pleasers have some kind of genetic makeup deep in the marrow of their bones that just knows when something is off.

“I’m also serious as a heart attack, Liv. You want to be a runaway bride, I’m driving the getaway car.”

It’s confirmed when I see the screen finally, Bradley’s smiling face and his name at the very top, the last text I sent reading: Good morning! I can’t wait to marry you today! His most recent text reads: I’m sorry. I can’t do this. And the world comes crashing down around me.

“Yeah, no shit. Maybe if you had been talked to like this, you wouldn’t be such a cunt, but unfortunately for everyone who has to cross your path, you’ve never been told no. And you know what, the next time I see you, I’ll play the game. I’ll smile because it’s what Liv wants, but know this: I see right through you, and I’ll spend the rest of my days trying to undo the harm you’ve done to your daughter, harm her father tried his best to counteract, but there’s only so much he can do when every time you waltzed back into her life, you did nothing but tear her down.”

She’s in her healed girlie era and we love that for her. I just personally am not there and more in my Reputation era.

I just spent a full hour with Olivia Anderson and I know two things for certain. One, she is absolutely not guilty. And two, I am so totally fucked.

“You deserve to be happy, Olivia. You weren’t put on this earth just to make the people in your life happy.”

Life is both painfully short and dreadfully long, and you only get the one. Live it for you.”

The entire festival behind us could burn down, oceans could come and swallow up the entire state of New Jersey, an earthquake could crack this parking lot in half and I wouldn’t notice.

made a mistake when I kissed her. I knew it immediately. I was a fool to think kissing Olivia Anderson once would be enough, would sate me. If Olivia is a spark then I am a forest, and I don’t know how I’ll be able to stop her flame from consuming me now that she’s set fire to my world.

“Kissing you might be my downfall, Olivia, but I’m going to be doing it anyway. If I’m going to hell, might as well taste heaven along the way.”

“And then I kissed you at that mountain and I knew then. I knew I would do anything, tell myself any kind of lies I needed to, to make you mine.”

How when I’m with him, I’m closer to the version of me I’m chasing, the version of me that’s been hidden for so long.

“I have a lot of baggage,” I whisper, my fingers reaching up to touch the line in his eyebrow, proof of how my baggage could hurt him. “Good thing I’m strong,” is all he says. “My mom’s going to hate you,” I admit.” “Good thing I’m not dating your mother then, right?”

And to that, we say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

“You don’t like flowers. Or gardens. Or the outdoors really.” He stares at me, confused, like I’m the crazy one. “But you do.”