Page 187 - It Ends with Us

“Tel l he r,” Allysa says, her voice ang rier no w. “She ha s the right to

kno w, R yle. She’s your wife. If you don’t tel l her, I will.”
R yle’s sho ulders roll for ward and hi s hea d is fully pres sed agains t
the count er no w. Wha tev er it is Allysa want s hi m to tel l me ha s hi m so
agoni zed , he can’t ev en look at me. I clenc h my stomach, feel ing the
ang st deep er tha n my soul.
Allysa spins toward me and puts her ha nd s on my sho ulders . “Hea r

hi m out,” she beg s. “I’m no t asking you to forgive hi m, bec ause I ha ve
no idea wha t ha ppened last night . But just plea se, as my sister-in- law
and my bes t friend , give my brother a cha nc e to talk to you.”

• • •

Allysa said she’d watch the store for the nex t ho ur unt il ano ther
em ployee comes in for thei r shi ft. I was still so upset with R yle, I
didn’t want hi m in the same car with me. He said he’d send for an
Uber and meet me at my apartment .
My ent ire drive ho me I agoni zed over wha t he could possibly need

to tel l me tha t Allysa alrea dy kno ws. So many thi ng s went thro ugh my
hea d. Is he dying ? Has he bee n chea ting on me? Did he lose hi s job?
She didn’t seem to kno w the det ails of wha t ha ppened bet ween us last
ni ght , so I ha ve no idea ho w thi s rel ates to tha t.
R yle fina lly walks thro ugh my front door ten minu tes after me. I’m

sitting on the couch, ner vously picking at my na ils.
I stand up and start to pace as he slowly walks to the cha ir and takes
a sea t. He lea ns for ward, clasping hi s ha nd s in front of hi m.
“Plea se sit down, Lily.”
He says it plea ding ly, like he can’t take seei ng me worr y. I ret urn to
my sea t on the couch, but I scoot to the arm, pull my feet up, and
bring my ha nd s to my mouth. “Are you dying ?”
His ey es stret ch wide and he immed iatel y sha kes hi s hea d. “No. No .

It’s no thi ng like tha t.”
“Then wha t is it?”
I just want hi m to spit it out. My ha nd s are starting to sha ke. He
sees ho w much he’s frea king me out, so he lea ns for ward and pulls my
ha nd s from my face, ho lding them in hi s. Part of me does n’t want hi m

touchi ng me after wha t he did last ni ght , but a piec e of me need s the