Unspeakable Truths by Alice Montalvo-Tribue Read Free Book Online

me a bitch?”
    “I’m trained to see through the bullshit, and you’re fucking full of it,” he grinds out of his mouth as he pulls into my driveway. It’s a direct hit, a blow to my armor, and I’m exposed and vulnerable. But I steady my breathing, steel my spine, and retaliate.
    “I’m sure you are! I’m sure you look in the mirror every day and see bullshit staring you right in the fucking face.”
    “You’re right I do. At least I can be honest about it.”
    “Go. To. Hell!” I yell practically leaping out of the car and slamming the door.
    “So I can live like you? No thanks.”
    He’s right behind me now as I rifle through my bag in search of my keys.
    “Can you hurry up and open the goddamn door so that I can get the hell out of here.”
    Realization dawns and I throw back my head and curse the sky. “If I could I would. I left the house key on my keychain which is sitting in my car right now.”
    “Wow. You couldn’t have thought about that, say, fifteen minutes ago?”
    “I’m sorry, I was too busy being accosted by a raging asshole,” I shout, getting in his face.
    “Is that how you talk to people who go out of there way to save your ass?”
    “Maybe that’s just your guilt catching up with you,” I say barely above a whisper.
    His flinch is barely visible, but I know I’ve wounded him. Funny, it doesn’t make me feel as good as I thought it would. He says nothing but turns away from me, removes his suit jacket, and starts checking the windows in search of one that’s unlocked. I sit down on the front steps of the house that I hate so much, waiting, waiting for something to change, anything. I know it’s me, my fault that my life has become such a piece of shit, but I can’t seem to dig myself out. I don’t know how to let go of the past, the guilt that is so engrained in who I’ve become. What I wouldn’t give to get away from here, move out of this house, take a vacation, anything really. But any step I take toward a life away from what Tyler and I were trying to build—what we should have had—feels like a betrayal.
    The front door opens up, and I look over my shoulder to see Luca standing there holding it open for me.
    “You okay?” he questions, seemingly calmer than he was a few minutes ago.
    “I’m fine thanks. You didn’t break anything did you?”
    He rolls his eyes and answers back sarcastically. “I got in through a side window, and everything is as you left it duchess. You’re welcome.”
    I get up and making a point of ignoring him as I walk inside the house and toss my purse on the stairs. I turn around and look him straight in the eye.
    “Get out.”
    He shakes his head in disgust. “You are a real piece of work you know that? Goodnight Everly,” he says as he turns, walks away, and slams the door shut behind him, leaving me alone in my misery. I climb up the stairs and head straight to the master bathroom, draw myself a bubble bath and soak in the tub until I’m calm and my fingers are wrinkled up like little prunes.
    I get ready for bed and walk over to Tyler’s bookshelf before getting into bed. He was a collector of things—clothes, movies, photos, books—it was just his way and as much as I teased him about his hoarding ways, I always found it to be kind of endearing. I grab a criminal drama book and get into bed, preparing to read myself to sleep. I open to the first page and a paper falls out from between the pages. It’s a ticket for a bet placed on a horse race four years ago, shortly before the time that he died. I’ve found things like this from time to time—ticket stubs, fantasy football charts, boxing bets—and it’s funny because I never knew that he did this, that he would bet on sporting events for money. I guess it’s just a guy thing to do, but it still surprises me that he never mentioned it. I put the ticket on the nightstand and shrug it off. It makes no difference now, it’s not like I can ask him about it. I open up the