Page 40 of The Embers That Remain

“People change, Cali.”

I wanted to hate those words. Instead, they resonated somewhere I couldn’t ignore.

I crossed my arms. “I don’t owe him anything, Landry.”

“I didn’t say you did. I’m saying . . .” She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “Maybe there’s more to it than what you’ve been carrying all these years.”

My laugh was sharp. “No. There isn’t.”

“You’re sure about that?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“Because from where I’m standing,” she said gently, “it looks like there’s a lot you never let yourself question.” She rubbed her forehead with the side of her thumb. I stared at her, something hot and restless stirring under my skin.

“You don’t know what happened,” I said.

“No,” she agreed. “Not all of it.”

“Then don’t—”

“But I know him,” she interrupted. I flinched because there it was. The dividing line.

“You think you know him,” I corrected.

“I know the man he is now. He’s been there for me, when so many people walked away, and never expected anything.”

Walked away?

“That’s convenient.”

“It’s relevant,” she said, exasperation creeping into her voice.

The answer came too quickly. I paced a few steps before turning back to her.

“You didn’t see what I saw, Landry. You weren’t there.”

“You’re right,” she said softly. “I wasn’t.”

“Then you don’t get to—” I stopped myself. Because a part of me wanted to believe that the boy who’d looked at me like I was something worth fighting for hadn’t just . . . used me.

“That doesn’t undo what happened,” I said, quieter now.

“No,” she agreed. “It doesn’t.”

“Then what’s the point?” I asked.

“The point is,” she said, taking a step closer, her voice steady, “maybe you don’t have the full truth. Are you sure there wasn’t a misunderstanding?”

I laughed, but it came out shaky. “I was there, remember?”

“I know,” she said. “But sometimes what we see in the moment isn’t the entire picture.”

I shook my head. “It sounds like you’re making excuses for him. What happened to being on my side?”

“I’m not making excuses,” she said. “I’m suggesting there might be an explanation.”

“I don’t need one.” The only thing worse than what happened would be having to listen to his reasons for why he’d used me.