Dive into Temptation [ManxBoy]

56. Twisted Logic

A/N: The next few chapters are going to piss some people off. Pls don't hate me. Bout to go on another rollercoaster of chaos. Both Dom and Ryan fans will suffer to an extent, so if you are a Ryan fan and hate what's about to happen, please try to put up with the drama. The end is near.

~*~

My eyes fixed on the hickey, my heart racing with confusion. Ryan recoiled from me, immediately moving to the far side of the bed, as if my skin harbored an invisible plague.

"The fuck?" The words tumbled from my lips, laced with disbelief. I shuffled to my mirror, feet heavy, to inspect the bruised evidence.

"You're still fucking around with him?" Ryan accused, his voice laced with escalating fury.

I whirled around, my pulse a frantic drumbeat against my ribs, and found myself ensnared by the storm in his eyes. "No," I laughed nervously, my insides churning with panic. "You did this!"

His eyes narrowed. "No the fuck I did not," he snapped, his arms barricading his chest.

A knot of anxiety tightened in my throat, making it hard to swallow. Despite not knowing the hickey's origin, Ryan's accusation hit home. It must have been Dominic, but how? He hadn't even had the chance to leave his mark when we were in the fitness room—I was sure of it. And the guy at Lily's gig? A fleeting encounter that never ventured beyond kissing and a wandering hand beneath my shirt. The memory of Lily's event was still a blur, a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. But logic pointed to Dominic, yet my mind refused to piece it together.

"He must've done it while I was asleep or something," I said, knowing my words were ridiculous.

But that flimsy excuse was all I had to cling to. Dom must have taken advantage of me when I was messed up from that spiked drink, my memory still fragmented. I didn't know the extent of his advances that night, unable to even recall him leaving the hickey. The realization sent a shiver of dread down my spine, a cold fear wrapping around my heart.

"Seriously?" Ryan's voice cut through the air, sharp with disbelief, his glare piercing through me. Panic surged within me like a rising tide, threatening to drown me in my own desperation.

"You have to believe me. I don't know where this came from," I pleaded, but Ryan's gaze remained unyielding, his face a mask of skepticism, waiting for the truth to surface.

"He's fucking insane!" My words trembled, the fear in me escalating with each passing moment. I was going to lose him. The room seemed to close in on me, the air thick with unspoken accusations.

"Ryan..." I frowned, the weight of my deception heavy on my shoulders. I didn't want to lie to him. With a deep sigh, I mustered the courage to tell the truth. "I'm sorry." I said finally, my shoulders slumping in defeat. The words hung in the air, a heavy silence settling between us.

His expression crumbled, a mix of sadness and betrayal. "Why would you do this to me?" His voice cracked with hurt, the weight of my actions crushing the unlabeled bond between us. Guilt clawed at my insides, rendering me speechless, my shame heavy. I met his gaze, and he stared, waiting for an explanation.

"Ryan, I..." I hesitated, my apology hanging on the edge of my tongue, knowing it would fall on deaf ears. "I didn't want..."

"I thought I was protecting you from him," his voice cracked, tears glistening in his eyes. "But I think you crave it. You're both toxic."

"No!" I protested, my heart pounding in my chest, taking a tentative step towards him. He recoiled, his hand a physical barrier of rejection rising between us.