CHAPTER 86: YOU’RE MY WORLD

"Ignorance doesn't lead to happiness; it leads to helplessness, fear, and cruelty," Ingrid Holtby's words rang true that night:

…

Max leans against his desk, gesturing for me to take a seat. It instantly transports me back nine years to the day Mom and Alex shared the 'family secret' with me. Back then, I had some inkling of what the conversation would entail. But right now, I'm utterly clueless. All the cards are on the table, and anything seems possible.

Max clears his throat, and I moisten mine with a single gulp, bracing myself for what he's about to say.

"Do you remember the morning after the first time we were intimate?" He begins, and I'm still in the dark about where this is going. "You asked if I had made a bet with my friends about you." Despite my bewilderment, I nod, recalling that day vividly. "I told you I had, but it was more of an arrangement, definitely not with someone I'd call a 'buddy.'" My brows furrow, and he continues to explain thankfully. "Now, remember the fi