“You don’t know anything about him,” I said through my teeth. “You don’t know anything about me, and unless you give me some answers, you can leave. I am sick of being lied to!”

“I’ve never lied to you,” Jared said, angry and shocked that I had dismissed him so easily.

“Why are you so secretive? Why do you always know where I am? How did you save us this morning? How did you do all of that?”

“This morning you were fine with not knowing all the details.”

“That was before I found out my entire life was a lie.” Angry tears overflowed and rushed down my cheeks. “I just need one thing in my life—just one—that I know is real. I need someone to be honest with me!”

“Nina,” Jared whispered, reaching out for me. I pushed him away and he winced. “Don’t do that. I’ve had to stand by and watch you cry so many times…I can’t do it anymore.”

“What does that mean?” I asked him, keeping him at arm’s length. “What do you mean you’ve watched me cry? Please just tell me the truth!”

Jared hesitated and then sighed. “I can’t. Believe me when I say I wish to God that I could, but I can’t.” His eyes were heavy with a lifetime’s worth of frustration.

“I believe you,” I said, opening the door. “I don’t want to see you anymore. Please leave me alone.”

“Nina….” Jared said. I met his eyes one last time before shutting the door behind me. He knocked twice. “Nina,” he said in a low, desperate tone.

I pressed my head against the door and let out a weak, muffled cry. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t worthy enough for the truth. Anger took hold of me again, and I pushed away from the door, making my way to my room.

Beth sat at her desk, clicking the keyboard on her lap top when I swung the door open. She jumped and turned when the door knob hammered against the wall.

“Where were you? Ryan was waiting for you to come.” Her eyes bulged when she saw the expression on my face. “Nina?”

“I went to The Gate to get a bite to eat before heading to the hospital, but I ran into Mr. Dawson,” I said, slumping onto my bed.

“Mr. Dawson?” Her voice flew up an octave. “Why was he at The Gate?”

“He grabbed me, told me he wanted me to get the papers for him—“

“He grabbed you? Does Jared know?”

My eyes darted to hers with suspicion. “What makes you ask that?”

She hesitated, picking at her delicate fingers. “He always seems to have the best timing.”

“He didn’t show up this time.”

She leaned her head closer so that I would look at her. “Have you seen him today?”

“He just dropped me off,” I sighed.