Wasn’t that the fucking truth.
“Any of it.”
“Hayden…” I didn’t like the look on his face, the one that said he felt sorry for me.
“Which part?” I demanded.
“I didn’t know most of it. I had no idea Maggie was… our half sister. I didn’t know about Danielle’s deal or that you almost died.”
“Did you know she was an angel?” The words burned on their way out, but I had to hear the answer.
The look on his face told me everything I needed to know.
“Hayden, calm down before you do something you’ll regret.” He said something else, but I couldn’t hear him. Icouldn’t hear anything over the buzzing in my head. He’d known.
Everyone in this room was aware of the existence of angels and demons except for me.
The betrayal cut deep.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so alone.
Actually, that wasn’t true. I could remember it perfectly. This wasn’t the first time my world had collapsed and I’d found myself on the outside, looking in at people I thought were mine.
The first time, I’d learned my son wasn’t actually mine. That the family I’d thought I was going to have belonged to some other man.
This was different, but it hurt just as much.
I looked at my wife—the woman I’d given my heart to, whom I’d trusted with every secret and broken piece of myself.
Why hadn’t I been worthy of her secrets? Why had she trusted my brother and not me?
I turned around and walked out of the penthouse. I couldn’t be here any longer. I didn’t belong in this world of demons and angels and wars.
“Hayden, wait!” Danielle called after me.
My feet halted on their own, refusing to take another step down the hall, but I didn’t turn around.
“I’m sorry. This isn’t how I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t find a better way. I needed everyone to know.”
“It sounds like everyone already did,” I said, my voice coming out as cold as my insides felt.
“I had no idea. I didn’t know your sister was his daughter. If I had, I would have done things differently.”
I spun around to face her. Her wings were gone, and she looked like the woman I knew, the one I loved more than I’d thought possible. Her whisky eyes were glassy, tears clinging to her lashes.
Something in my chest squeezed, urging me to close the distance between us and hold her. I still wanted to take her pain away even if it meant cutting myself open and bleeding all over the floor.
“I wouldn’t have cared,” I said. “I loved you, and you being an angel or demon or whatever wouldn’t have changed that. But you didn’t trust me enough to tell me.”
“That’s not it! I was trying to protect you.”
“Really.”
“Yes, really. I tried to be as honest with you as possible, but my hands were tied. I was just trying to keep everyone safe.”
“And where does telling Miles the truth fit into that?”
She frowned, a small crease appearing between her eyebrows. “What?”
