The Other Side of Love

Prologue

The first time I fully realized that I had made a decision that was going to change my life forever was when I saw Skylar. There was something so innocent and haunting about the look in her eyes; they told me that she knew secrets of the world that I could only guess at. She watched me keenly and openly as I walked around the room, and I was worried that she wasn’t going to like me. I felt tense as I waited for her to assess me. I thought I just wanted her to get to know me and to like me. I knew that it would make everything easier. I’d never counted on us having the bond that we did. I’d never counted on my heart belonging to her. I’d never felt a love like this before.

There are some people who live their lives with courage and determination. And then there are some who succumb to their emotions and crumble when they come across an obstacle. I’ve always tried to live my life the first way—it’s the only way I know how to live. Or, rather, it was. Now I’m not so sure. Walking away without saying goodbye was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. And it was the weakest. Growing up, everyone thought that my brother, Zane, was the strong one; he was the oldest and the protector, but they didn’t see the pain in his eyes that I did. They didn’t know the rejection that he felt when our mother left, the rejection that created a wall around his heart thicker than the chests in Fort Knox.

Leaving him had been devastating, especially because I knew he had to think I was dead. I thought that nothing would ever be able to beat my feelings of guilt and anger the day I died. But I was wrong. Leaving her had turned out to be even more devastating. And the fact that I hadn’t been able to say goodbye still tore at my heart. But I knew it was for the best.