Chapter 90 Ninety

Chapter 90 Ninety
Ivy POV

“Until she killed herself,” I finished, my voice steady now in a way that was somehow worse than shaking. “Because of you. Because of a game. Because you thought it was funny.”

Ronan’s face crumpled slightly.

“Ivy—”

“No,” I said, cutting him off. “No. I don’t want to hear my name from that disgusting mouth of yours. You don’t get to stand there looking broken about it.”

“I’m not trying to —”

“You are trying to make an excuse for the bad you did” I said, and I could feel the anger burning through every word now. Pure and hot. “You’re standing there waiting for me to make this go away. Waiting for me to fix it. Waiting for me to protect you.”

I paused and stared at him shocked

“Is that why you came to me? Is that why you chose me to be your lawyer?”

“No Ivy.. no that’s .” He paused” If it were up to me I wouldn’t want you to see this ugly version of me.”

I turned away from him, needing distance, needing air that didn’t taste like betrayal.

“Do you understand what you did?” I asked, not looking back. “Do you actually comprehend that a person died because of your choices?”

“Yes,” he said quietly. “I know exactly—”

“No, you don’t,” I snapped. “Because if you did, you wouldn’t be asking me to help you cover it up.”

“I’m not asking you to cover it up.”

“Then what are you asking?” I spun around to face him. “Because from where I’m standing, you just told me about the worst thing you’ve ever done and the first thing you thought was how to make sure nobody finds out is that right?”

He opened his mouth. Closed it.

“That’s what I thought,” I said.

I started moving toward the door, grabbing my bag.

“Ivy, wait—”

“No.” I didn’t even stop. “I’m not waiting. I’m not staying any seconds here. I’m not going back to that office and writing some bullshit statement that protects you.”

“Please,” he said, and his voice cracked. “Please don’t do this.”

I turned back one more time, and I could see the panic in his eyes now.

“I lost my entire life six years ago because I loved you,” I said, and my voice was shaking now but not from anger. From something worse. From hurt. “I thought I had done something wrong but it turned out I shouldn’t have ever met you and I hate myself for that.”

He stepped toward me.

“Don’t,” I said, holding up my hand. “Don’t come near me.”

He stopped, but his hands were open, pleading.

“And now I find out why,” I continued. “You left because you were a coward. Because you knew what you’d done and you couldn’t face it. And you couldn’t face me knowing it.”

“Ivy, I was a scared and young—”

“So was she,” I said sharply. “Hanna was young and scared too. And she’s dead.”

The words hung in the air between us.

“You want me to help you?” I asked. “You want me to sacrifice my career, my integrity, everything I’ve built to protect your secret? After what you just told me?”

“I never said—”

“You didn’t have to,” I said. “It’s written all over your face. You think if you explain it right, if you make it sound like you’ve changed, if you look sorry enough, that it all goes away.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Fair?” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You want to talk about fair? That girl’s family never got fairness. They got a dead daughter because some asshole thought it was entertaining to humiliate her.”

“I know that.”

“Do you?” I asked. “Because you seem more concerned about your career than about what you actually did.”

Ronan’s jaw clenched.

“I’ve spent years trying to be better,” he said quietly. “I’ve gone to therapy. I’ve—”

“Good for you,” I cut in. “That’s great. Really. I’m sure Hanna would be so proud of your personal growth.”

It was cruel. I knew it was cruel the second it left my mouth. But I didn’t care

I walked toward the door.

“Ivy, please,” he said, and he was following me now, desperation making his voice rough. “Please don’t walk out. Please.. dont.”

I stopped with my hand on the doorknob.

“I’m not going to help you cover this up,” I said without turning around. “I’m not going to write a statement. I’m not going to spin this. And I’m not going to pretend that I don’t know what you did.”

“What are you going to do?” he asked, and there was real fear in his voice now.

I turned to look at him one last time.

“I’m going to go back to that office and I’m going to tell Harrington that I can’t represent you,” I said. “And then I’m going to figure out how to live with the fact that I’ve spent the last few weeks falling for someone who is nothing but a murderer and animal.”

“Ivy—” he reached to touch me

“You don’t dare touch,” I snapped. I could feel my eyes beginning to sting.

He stepped forward anyway.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m so fucking sorry. I know that doesn’t mean anything, but I am.”

“It doesn’t,” I agreed. “It really doesn’t. And I don’t care!”

I opened the door.

“Wait,” he called out, his voice desperate now. “Ivy please don’t walk on me. I can’t bear to lose you again.”

“I don’t care,” I said, and I meant it. “Right now you’re still being a selfish prick thinking about your own feelings to make yourself feel better.”

“This isn’t about me feeling better,” he said. “This is about you understanding—”

“I understand perfectly,” I said. “I understand that you’re a predator who hurt someone and then spent years running from it instead of actually taking responsibility.”

The words landed like a physical blow.

He actually stepped back.

“That’s not—”

“Goodbye, Ronan, and I hope you rot in hell,” I said, and I walked out before he could say anything else.

I could hear him behind me, could hear him moving toward the door.

“Ivy, please,” he called out into the hallway. “Please don’t do this. Please.”

But I was already walking toward the elevator, my hands shaking, my chest tight, my entire world shifting on its axis.

I didn’t look back.