Free Matter of Truth, A by Heather Lyons Page A

snorts a laugh from across the
room; it’s small, barely a breath, but it’s a laugh all the same.
    “Obviously, you’re not a runaway spy like I thought at
first,” he says. “Your hiding skills are shite. Your name is Chloe Lilywhite,
and you chose Zoe White ?”
    If only it was as simple as me being an ex-spy.
    “Chloe is a beautiful name,” Cameron says. “It suits you
better.”
    Will takes a few steps closer. “Promise me your ex wasn’t
abusive.”
    Cameron’s eyebrows shoot up and then down. Both pairs of
dark eyes pin me further into the recliner.
    I don’t hesitate. “He’s . . .” Swallow. Breathe. Swallow.
Breathe . “He’s the best person I know. The very best. He would never hurt
me. Ever.” Not like I hurt him, anyway.
    “If he was all those things, why would you cheat? Why would
you do that to him?” Will looms over me, his arms crossed, his back rigid.
    Any explanation but the truth is only going to make me sound
awful, but how can I explain a Connection without spilling the entire mess? I
chew on my lip and stare at my hands, laced tightly in my lap. “It’s
complicated.”
    “Bollocks.”
    Cameron counters with, “Son, let her explain before you pass
judgments.”
    “When somebody cheats, they do it purposely,” Will continues
heatedly, as if his father hadn’t spoken. He glares down, and it hurts so much
to see the distrust in his eyes. But I deserve it. I did something awful.
Unforgiveable. “It’s not like your lips accidentally fell onto someone else’s.”
    I blink back the sadness threatening to spill over my lash
line.
    “Son.” Cameron stands up, his large hand going straight to
his son’s shoulder. “ Chloe did not cheat on you. She is not Becca.” His
fingers curl gently around the base of Will’s neck. “We do not know what drove
her to do what she did. Don’t go getting furious with her for something that
has nothing to do with you.”
    Will closes his eyes and nods. “I know. I’m . . . I’m a
prat. I’m sorry, Zo— Chloe . It’s just—”
    “It’s an unforgiveable thing.” I clear my throat; and then,
because it’s hard to hold it in any longer, tears snake down my face. “I get
why you’re mad at me.”
    “Yeah. No—” He gives me a sad smile. “Not unforgiveable. At
least, not to me.” He squats down in front of me. “I’m . . . I’m not going to
lie to you. To hear that you’ve done this stuff, yeah, I’m disappointed—because
you know how I feel about cheating, how it tore me apart.”
    A heavy stone slowly sinks to the pit of my stomach.
    “I personally can’t ever see a time in which this is
acceptable, but I also haven’t walked in your shoes. You can tell me to bugger
off, that it’s none of my business. But I’m calling bollocks on your excuse.”
His smile grows a fraction of an inch. “Family doesn’t let you get away with
that kind of crap excuse.”
    Cameron slaps Will’s shoulder blades and sits back onto the
couch. “Hen, it does my heart good to know you trust us enough with the truth,
as painful as it may be.” His smile starts strong but fades. “But Will’s right.
If you’re going to be honest with us, be honest.”
    My left hand’s felt wrong the entire time I’ve been in
Alaska. The ring that I used to wear, the special Dwarven gold one that Jonah
and I found that proved our Connection, is back in Annar in a hidden
compartment in a jewelry box. I wonder if Jonah’s found it. If he’s gone
through my apartment, if he’s thrown everything away. If he’s taken the
matching ring off his finger.
    I stare at the smooth bit of skin that no longer shows the
absence of a ring. There’d been a pale line when I left, but I used makeup to
hide it until it eventually faded away. And now, now that I’m staring at that
spot and having Will call me out on everything, I can’t help the regret that
threatens to pull me under.
    “You’re right.” I hate that my voice shakes. “I knew what I
was doing when