Page 186 - It Ends with Us

I gues s it would make sens e that R yle didn’t call me all ni ght , sinc e

he knew wha t kind of sha pe my pho ne was in.
I start to open a tex t mes sage when my pho ne beg ins ring ing . It’s
Allysa.
“Hel lo?”
She sighs hea vily, and then, “Lily! Wha t in the hel l is going on? Oh
my God, you can’t do thi s to me, I’m preg na nt !”

I start my car and set the pho ne to Bluet ooth whi le I drive toward
the store. Allysa is off today. She’s onl y got a few days lef t bef ore she
get s a jump start on her mater ni ty lea ve.
“I’m okay,” I tell her. “R yle is okay. We got int o a fig ht . I’m sorr y I
couldn’t call you, he broke my pho ne. ”
She’s quiet for a moment , and then, “He did? Are you okay? Where
are you?”

“I’m fine. Hea ding to work no w.”
“Good, I’m almost there myself.”
I start to protes t, but she ha ng s up bef ore I ha ve the cha nc e.
By the time I make it to the store, she’s alrea dy there.
I open the front door, rea dy to fiel d ques tions and def end my
rea sons for kicking her brother out of my apartment . But I stop sho rt

when I see the two of them stand ing at the count er. R yle is lea ni ng
agains t it and Allysa ha s her ha nd s on top of hi s, saying somet hi ng to
hi m tha t I can’t hea r.
They both turn to face me when they hea r the door close behi nd
me.
“R yle, ” Allysa whi spers . “Wha t did you do to her? ” She walks around
the count er and pulls me in for a hu g. “Oh, Lily,” she says, runni ng

her ha nd down my back. She pulls back with tea rs in he r ey es , and
her rea ction conf uses me. She obviously kno ws R yle is res pons ible,
but if tha t’s the case, it seems she would be attacking hi m, or at lea st
yel ling .
She turns back to R yle and he’s looking up at me apologet ically.
Long ing ly. Like he want s to reach out and hu g me, but he ’s scared to

dea th to touch me. He sho uld be.
“You need to tel l her,” Allysa says to R yle.
He ins tant ly drops hi s hea d in hi s ha nd s.