“You must know this is insanity.”
He moved toward me until he was only a few feet away. “You drove me to this.”
“How?” I asked incredulously.
“By being cold and rude to me every chance you got.”
“You can’t be serious. I hurt your feelings, and so you think the appropriate response is tokidnapme?”
He huffed. “I’m sick of your dismissive behavior toward me. I’m sick to death of you.”
“Trust me, it’s mutual,” I mumbled. “And when have I dismissed you?”
“When I first came to town and every day since.”
“That isn’t true.”
“It is true,” he snapped. “I tried very hard to give you the benefit of the doubt, Maxwell. I tried to be your friend. But it soon became clear you thought you were better than me. Everyone else welcomed me, but you had your nose in the air from day one.”
It was true the moment I’d met River, I’d found him annoying. But I didn’t think I’d shown him that, had I? I was sure I’d hidden it from him. I’d certainly tried to be tolerant, but he had been extremely bothersome. “We’re just… very different.”
“I agree we’re different. The problem is you think you’re in the right and everyone else is in the wrong. You’re ridiculous. Intolerant. Insulting. If something isn’t the wayyouthink it should be, you dismiss it. Who made you the decider?” His voice shook with aggression. “Who even are you other than a socially awkward failed surgeon? You insult people left and right because you think you’re better than them. Just admit it.”
“It isn’t that simple. I… I don’t think I’m better than everyone else. I’m simply not good with people.”
“I noticed. Everyone in Rainy Dale has.”
My face warmed. “I’m trying to change.”
“You should try harder,” he hissed.
I flinched. “You don’t understand how far I’ve come.”
“I don’t care either. You’re a lost cause. You’ll never be normal.” He leaned toward me, his face pinched. “Do you even have emotions?”
“Yes. Of course I do.”
“I don’t think you do. I’ve never seen any indication you care about anyone but yourself. I did try too. But eventually, I was forced to acknowledge you’re a bad person. You’re exactly who I thought youwere: a heartless monster who murdered my sister without a second thought.”
“You’re wrong aboutallof that.”
“Oh, really? Did you or did you not mock my type of medicine every chance you got?”
I grimaced. “I simply look at medicine in a more traditional way. That’s no reason to kidnap me.”
He curled his lip. “Oh, please. You’re a snob. You actively look down on me. You’re arrogant. Short-sighted. You only believe what you want to believe.”
I gritted my teeth, trying to control my anger. “This isn’t about whether or not I prefer traditional medicine. We both know that.”
“No,” he muttered. “It isn’t.”
Taking a steadying breath, I got off the bed and faced him. “Why didn’t you just tell me who you were? When you first came to Rainy Dale, why didn’t you come to me and ask me what happened with Lucinda?”
His laugh was shrill. “Are you pretending you would’ve happily told me?”
I sighed. “Maybe not happily, but if I’d known who you were, I probably would have talked to you.”
“Liar,” he snapped. “You’d have fed me the same bullshit line the hospital did. I want real answers. I want the actual truth. I don’t want the carefully prepared statement you gave to others.”
