Fraud (Antihero Inferno #2) - Lily White Page 0,105

all of it.

My entire life.

Her part in it.

Any other person would shut up, would back down as the mask falls and they see what’s hidden beneath it, but not Ivy.

She just keeps fighting.

Like she always has.

Like I know she’ll always do when faced with the truth of who I am.

It only makes me believe she’s somehow seen me our whole lives regardless of who I pretended to be.

And the sad truth is, I don’t know whether to hate her for it, or whether I should love that she’s known the truth and never let go regardless of how cruel I could be.

“Why can’t you just be real? Huh? Are you afraid of what people will think? Do you honestly believe anybody will judge you for something that wasn’t your fault? You were a kid, Gabe. A kid! Most grown adults don’t stand a chance against your families, so what chance does a child have to fight them? And all that anger, all that pain, you shove it down and strike out at me because you have no other target. It’s always been that way.”

My face lowers to hers. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She grins, but the expression is tight.

“Okay, Fraud. Keep lying. I won’t believe you. I never have. You might be able to fool everyone else, but you never fooled me. And that’s why you’re fighting me so much. Why you refuse to believe me now. You were real at the cabin. I saw you, not some forgery you pretend to be when the world gets too heavy for your damn shoulders. You were real! But as soon as you saw your father again, the mask was back on. You did the same thing you always do. Swallowed down your rage and tried to strike out at me for it. So fine. You want me muted? You want me to behave? Fine! I’ll give you what you want for once just so you can see how much you don’t actually want it.”

It doesn’t matter that my face is inches from hers, Ivy is practically screaming.

I shove away from her, our eyes locked as I step back and look at the woman who has been driving me crazy since the day we met.

Tears shimmer in her blue eyes, not from sorrow, but from anger. The only thing is, I don’t think the anger is directed at me.

I think it’s for me.

With me.

She’s angry for what’s been done to me more than what I’ve done to her.

A piece of the mask fractures at that, my eyes searching her face because why the fuck would she care?

After everything I’ve done to her?

After everything I continue to do.

She’s not wrong, though.

She’s never wrong.

All it took was speaking to my father, and I ran straight back to the fake bullshit I’ve always used to hide.

And that is what angers her the most.

How is it possible that the one person I’ve hated so goddamned much is the only person who dared see me for who I really am?

Silence falls between us as she slaps her tears away, her shoulders shaking with the anger she’s barely able to contain.

How we went from the fire to this, I have no idea. But here we are regardless.

She blinks rapidly to expel more tears, but then narrows her stare on mine.

“Do you have nothing to say? Not one word? Because if not, I’ll happily march back into your living room and sit there like the good little girl you lie and say you want.”

That’s not...

Fuck. I can’t even silently admit it to myself. I’ve lived the lie for so long that I believed it.

Ivy steps toward me, her stare challenging mine as she comes to stand within an inch of me.

Tilting that rebellious chin of hers up while I glare down at her, she crosses her arms over her chest in defiance.

“There is so much you don’t know. So much that you didn’t take the time to see when it comes to us.”

She pauses, her eyes searching mine for any sign that I hear what she’s saying.

“Here’s your chance, Fraud. Tell me what you want. Do you want me to behave? Do you want me to believe the lies? Or do you want to be honest with yourself for the first time in your life, and admit that I’ve never let you drown. I’ve never let your colors fade. I’ve kept you feeling alive because I’m the one person in your world who’s never accepted your