"Are you gonna miss me if I leave?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.


    He didn''t say anything, but his eyes were shattering.


    "If it hurts you, then just make me stay," I pleaded, my voice cracking as I stretched my arms out to


    Colin.


    Why did he always feel so insecure?


    All he had to do was say the word, and I wouldn''t go anywhere.


    Colin just looked at me, not uttering a sound, but pulled me into a tight embrace, his gaze icy as it


    fixed on Dexter.


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    Dexter looked upset. "Caleb, let''s see how long you can keep this act up."


    At that moment, Dexter might''ve gotten why I had such a hard time with Melody.


    Because no matter what I did, Dexter always stood by Melody first.


    Seeing it from another angle, maybe he was the one who couldn''t handle it first.


    "Back then... did Phoebe beg you too, begging you to believe her?" Colin finally spoke, a warning


    edge to his voice directed at Dexter. "But you chose Melody, and pushed Phoebe to the brink, didn''t


    you?"


    Colin pressed my head against his chest, possessively, not allowing me to see Dexter. His voice


    was hoarse and heavy with a dark oppression. "You''re right. I''m no fool. The charade was to survive


    the cracks, to live past twenty. That''s my life, not for someone like you to judge."


    Dexter frowned, clearly feeling the weight of Caleb''s presence.


    Robin and Ste were just as shocked, staring at Colin.


    Had he been pretending all along?


    "From now on, I''m gonna protect her my way. She''s mine, and I won''t let go," Colin dered,


    tightening his grip on me as if staking his im.


    "Oh really?" Dexter scoffed. "If Henry was that easy to handle, you wouldn''t have yed the fool for


    so long. Think you''ve grown wings now? That kid was just another piece in your game against


    Henry, right? From the start, you never intended for ''Foebe Larson''s'' kid to survive. It''s all part of


    your n."


    Dexter pulled out his phone. "The Langley family estate battle, Julian killing your kid, and now the


    press suddenly siding with you—don''t tell me this isn''t your doing. Those reporters were your pawns


    from the get-go, shielding you from Henry''s reach!"


    Colin remained silent, done with exnations.


    I looked up at Colin, my eyes jumping with realization.


    So, he wasn''t the fool after all.


    Was everything Dexter said true?


    Was this all part of his grand scheme? Including me and this child?


    To take over everything the Langley family had, he''d been plotting from the start?


    My gaze heated up, and I instinctively took a step back.


    I felt lost. Death was confusing, rebirth was confusing, and now even trust was a maze.


    With so many memories lost, I couldn''t even trust myself.


    "Turns out you''re no fool, how cool is that," Ste eximed, her thought process clearly different


    from the rest of us. "Does this mean you can really protect Phoebe now..."


    But seeing the tension between Colin and me, Ste''s confidence waned.


    Robin tugged at Ste, signaling her to pipe down.


    Seeing my doubt in Colin, Dexter seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I told you, I''d never lie to you.


    I''ll let you make your own mistakes as long as you''re safe, and when you see things clearly, just


    come back. I''ll always be here."


    Dexter stepped closer, addressing me again. "Make sure you read your parents'' journals when you


    get a chance."


    At the mention of the journals, Colin''s head snapped up, his eyes reflecting panic, as if he feared


    something.


    "Phoebe..." he said anxiously. "Don''t read them. Don''t believe them."


    Dexter''s cold eyes met Caleb''s. "What''s wrong? You scared?"