Page 108 of Mistaken Prejudice

“Did you hear what I just said?” Shay-Lee’s words snapped me out of my thoughts, and I noticed the tears in his eyes. “I said I love you, Miley. I love you so fucking much. I always have. You’re my whole fucking world.”

Andrei was my whole world and now he wished I were dead.

“I love you, Miles. Please. If you’ll just give me a chance.” He wrapped his arms around me and pressed me close to his body. “Just give me a chance. Try to love me back, please. I need you.”

“Love…” I finally found my voice. “You?” I couldn’t stop the laugh that came out with my question.

With my cheek still pressed to his shoulder, I spoke.

“How can I ever love you?” I pushed back and met his eyes. They were frozen, and I realized how cold they made me feel. How ugly they were. How ugly he was.

“How can someone ever love somebody like you?”

His jaw clenched as he swallowed, probably his tears, and shook his head. “Miley—”

“You’re a terrible human, Shay-Lee. Horrendous, truly. I’m shocked we’ve been friends for so long.”

“Y-you don’t mean it.” Was he crying?

“The thought of touching you alone makes my skin crawl, and you’re talking about giving you a chance? Just get the fuck out of my house. Out of my life.” I pushed him away from me and tried to pass him, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

“You don’t mean it. Say you don’t mean it.” His brows were pulled close together, and his bottom lip quivered. He was pathetic.

“I meant every word. You repulse me.” I laughed, not because the situation was funny, but because I was exhausted.

“Don’t, don’t say that, Miley. Please.” His shoulders trembled. “Without you, I’ve got nothing, please.”

“I don’t give a fuck about your pleading. I don’t give a fuck about you, so just go away already. Get the hell out of here. I’m tired. Just leave me alone.”

I started to climb up the stairs and was almost at the door when he spoke again.

“So just like that. You’ll choose him over me? After all these years?”

Was he really asking me that? Was he out of his freaking mind?

“I would choose him over you in a thousand different lives.”

Andrei is my life. Wrong. He was your life.

Andrei wants you dead.

I pushed the door open and walked inside the house, slowly making my way to my room.

The same words repeated themselves with every step I took.

Andrei wants you dead.

But as I reached my room, the words suddenly changed, and everything made sense again.

You want yourself dead.

Chapter 34

Andrei

I was nursing a beer in the privacy of my room while immersing myself in self-pity when Levi burst in. My regular reply would be asking what was wrong because he looked like shit, but I was too pissed and too miserable at the moment to deal with someone else’s problem.

“Have you heard about knocking?” I asked before I took another sip from the beer.