Page 79 of Broken Pieces

“I’m sorry Rae.”

She looks up at me and kisses me softly. “Thank you for listening and not judging. But that day will always be hard no matter how many years pass.”

I nod my head as I bring her closer to me.

She just laid out her guilt on a platter for me. All the secrets she has been hiding she offers to me freely.

But the guilt on my shoulders is weighing down more. I know why that name, Hardy, sounded familiar before. Because with every detail she gave me of that scene, the memories come flooding back full force. Because I was there. And I should be the one to blame.

I should tell her. Tell her what I know. But I can’t. It would tear her world apart and tear her from me.

So, I do the most selfish thing I can do. I wrap her tighter in my arms and protect her from the world when she really needs to be protected from me.