Twisted love

Fractured Truths

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Chapter: twenty-four

Oliver's POV

Andrew’s words hit like a punch to the gut, confusion flooding my mind as I tried to process what he was saying. This is your fault, Oliver. I asked you—I begged you to stay away from her all those years ago, but you just had to have her, didn't you? His voice trembled with fury, a desperate edge I hadn’t heard in years. But it wasn’t just anger—I could almost feel the fear beneath his tone, and for a second, a wave of unease washed over me. Andrew wasn’t himself. And it terrified me.

“Andrew…” My voice was hoarse, unsteady. “What… what are you even talking about?” But his gaze burned right through me, the betrayal in his eyes twisting something deep inside my chest. I felt a sharp pang of dread. There was something more, something I hadn’t seen all those years ago.

Then, a memory flickered to life in my mind. It was years back—a warm autumn afternoon. I’d been walking out of a bookstore when I spotted a blonde girl from behind, laughing with a friend. She was wearing a light sweater, her golden hair catching the sun. Her friend’s voice carried over to me, calling out, “Tanya! Hurry up!” I barely registered it, but the name had stuck. Tanya. I’d thought that was her name.

Right then, Andrew had approached me, nearly seething as he pulled me aside. His eyes were wild, the most intense I’d ever seen him. “Stay away from her, Oliver,” he’d said, his voice cracking. “I… I love her. You have no idea how much I love her.”

Back then, I’d dismissed it as one of Andrew’s strange moments. I barely even knew the girl; I had no interest in her. But his intensity surprised me, left me unsettled in a way I couldn’t shake. I’d told him I had no intention of getting involved, but that was the end of it.

But now, standing here, the weight of his accusation hit differently. “Andrew…” I began slowly, my voice measured. “That was a different girl. You never told me about Katherine. You told me to stay away from some girl named Tanya, and I did. I never made a move on anyone you loved.”

Andrew’s eyes darkened, his lips curving into a twisted smile that sent a chill down my spine. “You’re a liar, Oliver. Don’t act like you didn’t know. I saw how you looked at her, how you… how you stole her away.”

“Stole her away?” I echoed, shaking my head, my voice rising. “You’re not making any sense, Andrew. You told me to stay away from Tanya, and I did. I never even knew Katherine existed at the time.”

Just then, Katherine’s voice cut through the tense silence, her tone edged with finality. “Enough, Andrew. I’m done. Whatever this is, whatever delusions you’ve been feeding yourself… I’m done with you.”

The pain in her voice, raw and undeniable, seemed to break something in him. Andrew’s face contorted with a mix of disbelief and anguish, but it was clear—Katherine had made her choice. And in that moment, I saw it. The desperation, the betrayal he’d buried for years.

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Andrew’s knees hit the floor with a thud, his hands clutching at Katherine’s legs as if holding on for dear life. Tears streamed down his face, his entire frame shaking with raw, uncontrollable sobs. I’d never seen him like this—never seen him so shattered, so vulnerable. It was like he’d come undone before my very eyes, revealing a side of him I hadn’t even known existed.

“Katanya, please,” he choked out, voice breaking. “I love you. Don’t… don’t do this to me… not again.”

My heart froze as he uttered that name—Katanya. What in the hell was he talking about? A wave of unease washed over me, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the scene unfolding before me. I looked up at Katherine, and her face had gone pale, her expression shifting into something I could only describe as horror. Her wide eyes were locked onto Andrew, disbelief mingling with something darker, something bordering on terror.