The Good Liar (Infidelity #1)

by C.P. Harris

He gripped my elbow, moving in close again, this time making sure I couldn’t escape. “Thank you, again. For this,” he gestured around us, “and for letting me back in. Thank you.” I couldn’t say he was welcome, because I didn’t want to let him in. I didn’t want to love having him around. I didn’t want to miss having him in my corner. I also couldn’t fight him on it, because I lacked the strength needed to fight a connection so strong, which was ultimately why I’d ended up agreeing to hang out at his place the other day. I couldn’t push him away if he was intent on pushing back for a place to stay, because I didn’t hate him. I hated myself for what I did to him, for what I was still doing to him. For what I’d done to all of us. It would’ve been so much easier if I had hated him. And after our talk the other night I realized I envied his ability to live in spite of his guilt. To go for what he wanted, consequences be damned, and not lose a wink of sleep behind it. Especially since the death of my mother had triggered the trauma he’d carried around for the tragic death of his own mother, and the role he incorrectly believed he’d played in it. It was obvious he’d taken the time and done the self-work needed to be okay in the face of what happened to us.