TAINTED

Chapter 28

IVY

I was tired from dancing. I left Blaine on the dancefloor and joined Missy in the kitchen. I needed a mini-escape from pretending. This secret was eating me up inside. The more he touched and kissed me, the harder it was to keep on acting normal.

When I entered the kitchen, Missy laughed at something Eddie said. She passed me a mixed drink but continued to be enthralled with whatever nonsense he was feeding her. I leaned against the counter and scanned the party for Rhys. He was nowhere to be found. I sipped my drink and tried not to overthink where he could have disappeared. After a few minutes, lost in thought, I shifted slightly only to catch a glimpse of something or, more pointedly, someone moving in the driveway through a nearby window.

My eyes focused on Rhys loading up the trunk of his Range Rover with his belongings. What the hell was he doing? Was Rhys about to sneak out of his party? Without saying goodbye?

My feet started to move before my mind could stop them. I pushed through the crowd, pulled open the front door, and walked up to Rhys. Seeing him about to leave the party ignited something fierce inside me that I wasn't expecting. My heart pounded, and I could feel heat spreading all over my cheeks. I needed more time.

"Rhys. Where are you going?" I shouted.

He took a step and then turned to face me. His face was gorgeous in the moonlight, composed and yet achingly sad. His blue eyes nearly broke my heart. They glistened too much. I had to look away.

"Rhys...please... answer me. Where are you going? You can't leave yet."

"Ivy, stop," he looked away and tossed the last duffle bag in the back of his trunk. "Go back inside."

Panic rose into my throat. "If you go right now...I'm scared I'll never see you again. Just a bit more time, please."

His calm face broke with a touch of anger. "You need time? God Ivy..." He shook his head, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I said go back inside. Blaine needs his dance partner."

I swallowed hard. The hurt in Rhys's voice wasn't lost on me. When I didn't respond, he continued. "I can tell Blaine suspects something is going on with you. The longer you lie to him, the more you will hurt him. I can't stay here any longer. It's killing me to look my brother in the eye."

"Rhys, please..." I whispered again. My eyes were stinging with unshed tears, too.

He ran both of his hands back through his hair. "No, Ivy...no." his voice grew quiet, and a sharp pain spread all over my chest. "I can't stay. Just be with Blaine."

I shook my head, tears falling down my cheeks. Seeing my pained face, he brought a hand up to my cheek. "Then choose Ivy. Choose right now."

"I'm sorry. I can't. You're leaving me," I whispered. "Again."

He stopped breathing, and his eyes grew full of understanding. I watched a tear fall from Rhys's eye, and he quickly wiped it away. I hated myself for being such a coward. Deep down, I wanted to take back my words, but I knew there was no way I would be the reason the Wyatt brothers hated each other. He started to remove his hand and back away from me, and I clutched him tight and pulled him closer. I needed to hold him one last time. He swept me into his arms for a tight embrace. I threw my arms around his neck and curled one of my hands through his hair. I inhaled the scent of his skin, not wanting to let go.

In a voice thick with emotion, he whispered in my ear, "Blaine is the right decision, Ivy. He won't leave you. He's the good Wyatt brother he always has been. You'll get married, and Blaine will take over Whitefish Resort. You'll have beautiful children and live a picture-perfect life. He can give that to you. And I promise I'll stay away because you deserve all the happiness in the world. Me leaving is the only way Blaine doesn't get hurt. And if I stay any longer, he will find out about us. I can't have that." I couldn't hold back my emotions any longer. Tears were falling mercilessly down my cheeks. I pulled back to look at him, tears streaming down his face now. "You'll be okay, but I have to leave, Ivy. It's too painful to see you two together. I need to leave. Tonight."