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Back One White Lie Save as PDF
Chapters (59)
  1. COVER
  2. About the Author
  3. DEDICATION
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Davis gripped Dusty tighter. ‘I would have forgiven you, you know. For leaving, even for taking that photo. I would have taken you back. I loved you. I still do. You’re the one who always thought the worst of me. I knew we were perfect, you and me. I knew if we could only work out the kinks in our relationship, we would be everything either of us ever needed. It’s you who always painted me as some kind of monster, when I was only trying to help you, to help us. To make sure we didn’t just dissolve into resentment like every other couple. We had chemistry, we had similar interests, we made each other laugh, we were crazy about each other – do you know how rare that is? It would have all been fine, if only you’d just trusted me, if only you’d just listened.’ He sighed, mourning all that could have been. ‘We could have gotten married and had kids like you wanted – been a family – if only you’d learned. If you’d tried as hard as I did to improve our relationship. But you didn’t care, did you? You blew it all up. You did this.’

Dusty yelped, but Davis didn’t let him go. ‘Even if I wanted to, I can’t be with you after that,’ he said. ‘So I’m taking what matters most to you. I’m taking him. Maybe you’ll finally learn not to ruin every good thing that comes your way.’

Dusty cried out again, and I pressed myself upright on the bed. ‘You can’t,’ I said, begging. ‘I’m the one who’s been taking care of him. I’m the one he knows. Please.’ I reached out my hands, but Davis gripped him tighter. ‘Please, just give him to me.’

‘Why should I?’

Tears ran down my cheeks, and between the way Davis was holding Dusty and the hammer still gripped in his hand, I was terrified something awful was going to happen. Like a flash, I saw Dusty sprinting across the road after his leash had snapped. Davis wasn’t above hurting our dog if it meant he could hurt me. If it fell into his grand idea of ‘working out the kinks’ in our relationship.

I had to do something. I had to stop this.

‘If you don’t let him go, right now, I’ll show everyone that photo,’ I said, desperately forcing confidence into my voice. ‘I’ll blast it across the internet. You’ll be a viral fucking sensation. You’ll have to kill me to stop me from doing that, I swear to god. And if you do kill me, what’s your sister going to think? Whatever story you fed her, it won’t mean much if I turn up dead a week after I told her myself I was afraid of you.’