Plain Sight

chapter sixty-two

Juliette

_________

Tom's face drops, "There's something you're not telling me Juliette, what is it?" He says, taking a step closer to me.

Maybe the fact that 'Milo R.' Is actually Mia's ex-boyfriend, Mia who also happens to be sleeping with your brother.

I can't speak, because I can't even think right now.

"Juliette, answer me." He repeats, "This is important. What are you hiding from me?" He says this, but there's a mixture of anger and hurt hiding in his words. Maybe a bit more anger.

And for some reason, that's what did it for me. I've been lying to the man I love, about something that could potentially cost me my life.

It was the remembering the dark rumble of his voice just a few seconds ago, I don't want to lie to him about this anymore. It's time I stopped pushing people away, I've been too ashamed to ask for help my entire life. But sometimes, change is better.

"I know who 'Milo R.' is," I finally broke, shame burns in my mouth.

"What do you mean? How?"

"His name sounded familiar, and I kept thinking about it. But that's when I knew I'd eventually get it, 'Milo R.' Is actually Mia's Ex-boyfriend. The guy that used to bartend for your parties..." The words already taste sour as they slip off of my tongue, I can't seem to look at Tom.

But when I finally do, the only thing that I see is betrayal is of some sort. He's angry and he's hurt.

"How long have you known?" He finally says after a long deadly silence, his lips in a firm line.

"A couple of days..."

Shame.

He inhaled sharply, "So, you lied to me." He says, taking a step away from me. "You lied, and you didn't think to tell me you knew the man coming after you? What were you thinking?!"

He brought his hands to his mouth and then ran them to the back of his head as he looked at the ceiling because I was probably the last person he wanted to look at right now.

"I'm sorry—I just thought that if I got some more information on him, I could handle it myself. I didn't want to drag you and the others into my problems again."

He exhaled deeply before looking at me, "Handle it yourself? Like you handled your dad, Juliette?! You were absolutely reckless for doing that, but this? Juliette, we're supposed to be a team. Not this," He says, motioning his hands between us. "Not liars. We don't do that Juliette. Especially not after the lie that could've ruined us forever." He finished.

He brought up the lie that did in fact destroy us for weeks, the lie that he knew about me being hired to kill him in the first place, and he tricked me by knowing the entire time.

"I know—Tom I know. I never meant to lie, I was just sick of dragging you and Bill and georg into every single one of my issues. I'm sorry, Tom." I take a step closer to him, and this time he doesn't back away from me.

I can't stand it anymore, I can't help but feel like I'm causing so much harm and trouble to Tom, Bill, and Georg. Gustav is dead because of me, it was my fault that my father decided to ruin the ball that night.

It was my father's men who shot Gustav and tried to kill the rest of them.

I just can't have that happen again.

His breathing just quickens and I don't think he wants to look at me.

Moments pass, and my heart is only growing heavier with each second that he doesn't say anything.