“No,” I whisper, shaking my head, eyes blurry with tears. “That doesn’t make sense. You said you were. You told them you were.”
“I was scared. I was drunk. I said the wrong thing and fucked up everything. Think about it. Why would Megan let me get behind the wheel when we all agreed she’d take me home? Why would she do that? Does it make more sense that your friend let a wasted idiot drive, or that the wasted idiot told a stupid lie at the wrong time?”
“But you said—”
“I had a concussion. I was drunk and confused. When the cops started shouting at me, I told them I was driving to protect her, to keep her from getting in trouble, or at least that’s what I thought in my twisted, dumb head. I didn’t understand what the hell I was saying, and by the time I tried to correct the record, it was too late. I tried to tell you that morning at the hospital, but you called me a liar, over and over again. I thought if anyone would believe me, it might be you, but you didn’t. Nobody did. Your father is the only reason I wasn’t thrown in prison.”
“I’ve lived all these years with this story locked up behind closed lips, but it’s the truth, Daley. I wasn’t driving. I didn’t kill Megan.”
Chapter 10
Rian
She sobs as I hold her there. I hate myself for this and despise the clans for making me go this far. None of this should be happening, and yet here we are, reliving the worst night of our lives, and I can tell it’s tearing her to pieces.
I fucking wish I had been the one driving that night. Maybe then I’d be dead and Megan would still be here.
But I’m telling her the truth. Every word is the truth. I woke up in the passenger seat, drunk and dazed and confused, with no memory of anything leading up to the crash. The last thing I could remember was getting picked up for the party, but the hours afterward were a blur for a very long time. They’re still a blur, though bits and pieces have come back over the years.
I still don’t know why I told the cops I was driving. I thought if I took the blame for the crash, then Megan wouldn’t get in any more trouble, but Megan was dead. I was too confused to understand it. She wasn’t breathing, wasn’t moving, wasn’t anything. I found her ruined in that front yard, and I held her as the sirens came closer and closer, begging her to open her eyes, but she didn’t. I was so young back then, so stupid and naive. Now I can see how I made a dozen different mistakes, and how all those mistakes added up to bring me to this moment, right here in Daley’s apartment.
All these years, I’ve carried this inside. All these years, everyone has assumed that I was the one driving that night and that I was the one who got Megan killed. It’s not true, never was true, but there’s no way for me to clear my name. Nobody will believe me, especially not now.
Which is why it hurts so fucking much when Daley calls me a liar. Because I never did. Only that once, to the damn cops, and it was the worst lie of my life.
Now I’m desperate for Daley to believe me. I need her to hear this, to understand that I’m not her enemy. She doesn’t have to hate me, at least not as much as she does right now.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper softly, easing my grip. She slumps forward and covers her face with her hands, sobbing into her fingers. “I’m so sorry, Daley. I know this hurts, and believe me, I didn’t want to do it this way. But you needed to know the truth.”
She shakes her head but doesn’t deny it. I hold her there before steering her back to the couch. She sinks down, curls up, and pulls a pillow to her chest. I get her tissues and kneel on the floor next to the coffee table as she dabs at her eyes, getting herself under control.
“It doesn’t make sense,” she says finally, staring at me with deep, gut-rending sorrow. “She wasn’t drinking. She was a good driver. How did she lose control of the car and slam into a tree?”
“There’s a lot about that accident that doesn’t make sense,” I say quietly, meeting her gaze. I have to be strong now. This part is going to hurt her more than anything else, but she needs to hear it. She’s the only person in the whole world that can help me, and she’s also the only person that might believe what I have to say. “I’ve thought a lot about what happened over the years. I’ve been asking people about Megan, quietly, without making waves, ever since I joined the Halloran clan. Daley, something happened to Megan that night, and I want to find out what.”