by chizzy
Chapter 12 — Shadows Between Us
The evening sky was bruised purple when Dylan returned from the hospital. He parked the truck and sat inside for a minute, fingers gripping the steering wheel, his jaw tight. The day had been long, and his father's condition hadn't improved. He'd thought coming home would bring him comfort, but lately, even home felt different — like the walls were keeping secrets.
When he stepped inside, the house was dimly lit. Erica was standing near the window, her back to him, phone pressed to her ear. Her voice was low, rushed, the kind of tone she used when she didn't want to be overheard.
He paused quietly at the doorway, listening.
"No, not tonight. He's home," she whispered. A pause. "I told you, Ryan, it's complicated—"
That name.
Ryan.
The sound of it stopped Dylan's breath cold.
Erica turned just as he stepped further into the room. The color drained from her face, the phone slipping slightly in her grip.
"Who's Ryan?" Dylan asked, his voice steady but sharp enough to cut through the space between them.
"I—It's not what you think."
"I think you're hiding something from me," he said, crossing his arms. "And I'm starting to believe I'm right."
Erica hung up quickly and set the phone on the table, her hands trembling. "It was just a call from an old friend. That's all."
"Old friend?" he echoed bitterly. "You sounded scared."
"I wasn't scared," she lied, but her voice cracked.
Dylan took a step closer. "Don't do that. Don't lie to me, Erica. Not after everything we've been through."
"I'm not lying."
"Yes, you are," he said quietly, his eyes dark and steady. "You've been on edge for days. Your phone keeps buzzing. You barely look at me anymore. And now—Ryan?"
Her throat tightened. "Please, just trust me on this."
He laughed, short and bitter. "Trust you? You can't even look me in the eye right now."
Erica's chest ached. "It's not about us. It's about something that happened before you."
"Then tell me."
"I can't."
The word hung between them like a blade.
Dylan exhaled hard, raking a hand through his hair. "Then what am I supposed to do, huh? Pretend I didn't just hear you whispering to some guy named Ryan behind my back?"
Tears welled in her eyes. "Please, Dylan—"
He shook his head. "I've defended you. I've believed you when people questioned us. But right now, I feel like I don't even know who you are."
Erica's vision blurred as she turned away, gripping the windowsill. The truth sat like a stone in her throat, too heavy to move.
He stood there a long moment before his voice came again, low and wounded. "You want to keep secrets? Fine. But don't expect me to pretend it doesn't hurt."
The door slammed behind him, and she flinched at the sound.
Hours passed. The house was silent except for the faint ticking of the clock. Erica sat curled on the couch, phone in hand, staring at Ryan's message again.
We need to meet — soon.
Her hands were shaking when she typed back.
Where?
The reply came within seconds.
The old marina. Tomorrow night.
She set the phone down and buried her face in her hands. She didn't want to see Ryan. She didn't want to drag the past back into her life. But if he was threatening to tell Dylan first… she had no choice.
The next evening, she slipped out quietly after Dylan left for a late shift. The marina was nearly deserted, the smell of salt and rust thick in the air. Boats rocked gently in the water, their ropes creaking in the dark.
Ryan was already there — leaning against a railing, hands in his pockets, that same careless smile that had once made her heart race and now only made her skin crawl.
"Erica," he said, stepping forward. "You look exactly the same."
She stopped a few feet away, her heartbeat thudding in her ears. "What do you want?"
"Closure," he said simply. "And maybe to make sure you didn't forget how we ended things."
"I didn't forget. I've been trying to."
He smirked. "Does Dylan know?"
Her eyes flicked up sharply. "Know what?"
"That you were with me while you were with him."
The air left her lungs. "That's not true."
"Isn't it?" He tilted his head. "You think deleting messages changes what happened? You think running off to play the perfect girlfriend erases what we did?"
"Stop."
He stepped closer. "You broke me, Erica. You left me when I needed you. Now you get to live like none of it mattered?"
"It was years ago. You need to move on."
He laughed darkly. "Oh, I have. But I thought Dylan might like to know that the woman he's in love with isn't who he thinks she is."
She paled. "If you go near him, Ryan, I swear—"
"You'll what?" he asked, leaning in. "Lie better?"
Her hand trembled at her side. "You're sick."
"And you're scared," he said softly. "That's what I like most about you — you always were."
Before she could answer, headlights cut through the darkness. A truck door slammed.
Erica froze.
"Dylan?" she whispered.
Ryan smirked. "Guess the truth's about to come out sooner than you thought."
Dylan's footsteps were heavy, his expression unreadable. "I followed you," he said simply.
"Dylan, I can explain—"
He looked from her to Ryan, his jaw clenching. "You don't have to."
"Man, she didn't tell you?" Ryan asked, grinning like it was a game. "We go way back. Intimately, actually."
Dylan's fist connected with Ryan's face before the sentence finished. Ryan stumbled backward, blood on his lip, laughing.
"Don't you ever say her name again," Dylan growled.
"Then ask her yourself," Ryan spat, wiping his mouth. "Ask her what she was doing with me while she was 'loving' you."
"Stop it!" Erica shouted, stepping between them. "It's not like that, Dylan. Please—"
Dylan's eyes burned into hers. "Then tell me what it is."
Tears spilled down her cheeks. "It was before you. I swear it was. But when we started… things overlapped. I didn't mean for it to happen, Dylan. I fell in love with you, and I panicked. I ended it with him."
"By lying to both of us?"
Her voice cracked. "I was scared you'd never forgive me."
He turned away, his chest heaving. "You should've trusted me enough to tell me the truth."
"I know," she whispered. "I know."
Dylan started walking back toward his truck. Erica reached out but stopped herself. The sound of his boots on the gravel was the loneliest sound she'd ever heard.
Ryan smirked from where he stood. "Guess honesty's still not your strong suit."
Without thinking, Erica slapped him hard across the face. "Stay out of our lives."
She turned and ran after Dylan — but by the time she reached the road, he was gone.
That night, she sat on the edge of their bed, staring at the empty space where he used to sleep.
She'd spent years building something fragile and beautiful — and in one night, it all began to crumble.
She didn't blame him for walking away.
What terrified her most was the possibility that this time, he wouldn't come back.
To be continued.