Straightening Affairs - 19. Chapter 19

Ryan’s chest tightened as the conflicting voices in his mind grew louder, a cacophony of fear and desperation. I can’t. I just can’t. Keep it together. Don’t say it. Don’t ruin this. But the other voice—the quieter, more insistent one—pressed on. Tell him. He loves you. He’ll understand.

The tension burned in his throat, his heart hammering so hard he thought Nate might feel it. Ryan squeezed his eyes shut, pressing himself deeper into Nate’s chest, as if he could disappear into the warmth and let it shield him from the truth clawing its way to the surface.

Nate’s hand moved gently across Ryan’s back, steady and reassuring. “Ryan,” he murmured, his voice soft but probing. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

Ryan pulled away, wanting to look at Nate but unable to. “It’s… it’s complicated,” he mumbled.

“Complicated how? What’s going on with you?” Nate’s voice softened, but his persistence was unwavering.

Nate’s hand stilled on Ryan’s back, and for a moment, the silence between them grew heavy. Then, softly but firmly, he spoke.

“Listen, I know we’re open. Did you catch something?” His voice was calm, but there was an edge of concern beneath the words.

Ryan stiffened, his breath catching in his throat. He pulled back just enough to look at Nate, his eyes wide and searching. “No,” he said quickly, the word almost too sharp. He shook his head, trying to steady his tone. “No, it’s not that.”

Nate studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable. Ryan turned his gaze away, unable to hold the weight of Nate’s scrutiny.

Ryan ran a hand through his hair, pacing the small room like a caged animal. “I mean, it’s not just one thing, Nate. It’s… it’s a lot of things. Stuff I didn’t plan for, things that spiraled out of control. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” Nate said, crossing his arms.

Ryan stopped pacing, his eyes darting around the room, searching for an escape. “I thought I could handle it, you know? I thought it was going to be fun. But then it wasn’t fun anymore because people got involved, and now I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“Ryan, you’re talking in circles. Just tell me what’s going on. Who’s involved? What’s not fun anymore?”

Ryan’s chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. He sank onto the bed, his head in his hands. “I messed up, Nate. I really messed up.”

Nate sat down beside him, his expression softening. “Messed up how? Did you hurt someone? Are you in trouble?”

Ryan shook his head, tears streaming down his face. His voice was barely a whisper. “It’s about Michael.”

Nate’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent, waiting for Ryan to continue.

“I’ve been… I’ve been seeing him. Behind your back. I swear I didn’t mean for it to go this far, but it did. And now his mom…”

Ryan’s confession hung in the air like a bomb waiting to detonate. Nate froze, staring at Ryan as if he hadn’t understood the words. But he had. The weight of them pressed down on his chest, suffocating and disorienting.

For a moment, the world started to spin for Nate. Michael? Ryan had been seeing Michael? His sister’s boyfriend? The father of his niece and nephew? It didn’t make sense. Michael and Sarah had always seemed so solid, so in love. They had the picture-perfect family. Michael couldn’t be gay—or could he? Had there been signs that Nate had missed? Was this why Michael had always seemed a little distant at family gatherings? Or was Ryan lying, trying to twist something in his panicked state?

Nate’s voice cracked as he finally managed to speak, his thoughts still a jumble. “Ryan? What the fuck are you talking about? Michael? My sister’s Michael? Are you seriously trying to tell me that you’ve been… with him? No, no way. This doesn’t make sense.”

Ryan flinched, his hands trembling as he gripped the edge of the bed. “I didn’t plan for this, Nate. I swear. It just happened. I didn’t mean to hurt you, or Sarah. It started off… I don’t even know how it started. But it’s been going on for a while now.”

Nate’s head was spinning, his heart pounding in his chest. “A while? Jesus, Ryan! My sister and Michael have been together for years. They have kids. You’re telling me you’ve been… what? Having an affair with him? And his mom is involved? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Ryan opened his mouth to respond, but Nate cut him off, his voice rising. “How could you do this, Ryan? To me? To Sarah? You know how much she’s been through, and you’re sneaking around with her husband? God, this is—this is insane. Are you lying? Tell me this isn’t true.”

But Ryan’s face, pale and stricken, told Nate everything he needed to know. This wasn’t a lie. This wasn’t a bad joke or a misunderstanding. It was real, and it was ugly.

Nate’s thoughts churned, his mind replaying moments from the past few years. Michael’s rare, fleeting glances toward Ryan. Ryan’s sudden interest in family events he’d normally avoid. The times Ryan had mysteriously disappeared, claiming he needed “space” or “time to think.” It was all falling into place now, and the picture it painted was one of betrayal.

“So a few weeks ago, when you had to go away for the weekend. You were with Michael. In New York?” asked Nate.

Ryan simply nodded.

“You disgust me, Ryan,” Nate spat, his hands clenched into fists now. “How could you do this? Michael isn’t gay. He can’t be. You’re making this up.”

Ryan shook his head, tears streaming down his face. “I’m not making it up, Nate. I wish I were. But he is. He’s been hiding it for years, even from Sarah. I know I’ve messed up. I know I’ve hurt you, but please… I didn’t know how to fix this.”

Nate turned away, pacing the room as his emotions boiled over—shock, anger, heartbreak, betrayal. How had everything unraveled so completely? How had the people he trusted most hidden so much from him?

Finally, he turned back to Ryan, his voice cold and controlled. “You’re going to tell me everything. From the beginning. And don’t you dare leave out a single detail.”

For the next few hours, Ryan unraveled everything, his voice trembling as he laid bare the twisted web of deceit he had been caught in. He started with Michael’s mom, describing her cold, calculating demeanor and her obsessive hatred for Sarah. How she wanted to break Sarah, to strip her of everything—her dignity, her happiness, her family. How she had promised him Michael, dangled the idea of having Michael all to himself, but always with conditions, always with her pulling the strings.

“She told me,” Ryan confessed, his voice hoarse, “that Michael was mine if I wanted him. But there’d be strings attached. That I’d have to do things her way. She wanted Sarah gone, reduced to nothing but a shell of who she was, and then... she wanted to discard her like trash.”

“I... I don’t know why I went along with it,” Ryan said, his voice trembling with a mix of sorrow and shame. “Maybe it was the thrill of seducing a straight man. Maybe it was the idea that I could have something forbidden, something I wasn’t supposed to have. I don’t know.”

His words hung in the air, heavy with regret. Ryan looked down at his hands, as though searching them for answers, but all he found was the weight of his guilt. For a moment, his voice broke entirely, and he shook his head. “It was stupid. I was stupid. And now… now, I’ve ruined everything.”

Nate sat stiffly, his hands clenched into tight fists. The muscles in his jaw twitched as he ground his teeth, his simmering rage building with every word Ryan spoke. He didn’t interrupt, but his expression grew darker and darker, like a storm cloud ready to burst. “And us? What about us, Ryan? Did you ever stop to think what this would mean for us?” His voice was calm, but there was a sharpness to it, a barely restrained fury that made Ryan flinch.

Ryan opened his mouth to respond, but Nate held up a hand to stop him.

“No. Don’t. I don’t want to hear any more excuses. You threw us away for what? A fantasy? You thought seducing Michael, someone who’s with my sister, would somehow make everything perfect? That he’d drop his entire life for you? Did you even think about what would happen after that? Did you?”

Ryan’s shoulders slumped, his voice barely above a whisper. “I… I don’t know. It wasn’t supposed to go this far. I thought—”

“You thought what?” Nate snapped, his voice rising. “That it’d be some fun little game? That no one would get hurt? Wake up, Ryan! You didn’t just hurt me—you’ve dragged my entire family into this mess. You’ve lied to me, to Sarah, to yourself. And for what? For a guy who sees you as nothing more than a distraction?”

Ryan stared at the floor, the weight of Nate’s words pressing down on him. He had no defense, no way to justify what he’d done. “I didn’t mean for it to get this bad,” he muttered.

“Didn’t mean for it to get this bad?” Nate repeated, his voice dripping with disdain. “You let his psychotic mother pull you into her sick game. You risked everything we had, everything Sarah has, for some twisted version of love that only existed in your head. And now what? You want me to help you clean it up?”

Ryan looked up, tears pooling in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Nate. I was stupid, I know that now. But I love you. I swear I do.”

Nate let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Love? You have a funny way of showing it. If you loved me, you would have stopped the moment she got involved. You would have never gotten involved. You would have respected boundaries. You would have walked away. But you didn’t, did you? Because deep down, you wanted this. You wanted to feel special, to feel like you could take something that wasn’t yours. And now you want me to pick up the pieces.”

Ryan wiped his eyes, his voice breaking. “I don’t know how to fix this, Nate. I don’t know what to do.”

Nate’s jaw tightened, his voice steady but cold. “You’re damn right you don’t. But here’s the thing, Ryan—I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for my family. For Sarah, for her kids, for everyone who doesn’t deserve to be caught in this web you helped spin. But don’t think for a second that means I’ve forgiven you. Because I haven’t. And I don’t know if I ever will.”

Ryan nodded slowly, the tears streaming down his face. He didn’t expect forgiveness, didn’t think he deserved it. But hearing Nate say it out loud made the weight of his actions feel even heavier.

Nate stood, his hands still balled into fists. “You better start pulling your weight, Ryan. Because if you don’t, if you even think about screwing this up further, you’ll lose me for good. And I’ll make damn sure you face the consequences.”

Ryan sat frozen, his mind a whirlwind of guilt, fear, and a flicker of hope. He didn’t deserve Nate’s help, but he was determined not to let him down. Not this time.

Ryan continued, his voice breaking as he recounted how he had been roped into the scheme. “I didn’t think it would go this far, Nate. I didn’t think I’d—” His voice cracked, and he buried his face in his hands. “I didn’t think I’d destroy everything.”

Nate’s anger flared, his face flushed. “You didn’t think? Are you kidding me, Ryan? You didn’t think about Sarah? About me? About those kids? You thought this was all some stupid game? Jesus Christ, Ryan. How could you be so selfish? So... blind?”

Ryan flinched at Nate’s words, but he didn’t defend himself. He couldn’t. Everything Nate was saying was true. He was selfish. He had been blind. And now, as the enormity of his actions sank in, he realized there was no way to undo the damage he had caused.

“I know,” Ryan whispered. “I know I’m a piece of shit. I know I deserve whatever you want to throw at me. But please... Nate, I’m telling you the truth now. I didn’t mean for it to go this far. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

Nate stood abruptly, his fists trembling at his sides. For a moment, Ryan thought he was going to hit him, and he almost welcomed it. He deserved it. He needed Nate to take out his anger on someone, and who better than the person who had betrayed him so deeply?

But Nate didn’t strike him. Instead, he turned away, pacing the room as he tried to process everything he had just heard. His mind was spinning, a chaotic whirlwind of rage, disgust, and heartbreak. He wanted to lash out, to yell, to make Ryan feel even an ounce of the pain he was feeling. But more than that, he wanted answers.

“So what now?” Nate finally said, his voice low and strained. “You’ve confessed. You’ve admitted to everything. What the hell are you going to do to fix this, Ryan? Because I swear to God, if you think you can just walk away from this and leave everyone else to pick up the pieces, you’re dead wrong.”

Ryan looked up at him, his eyes filled with guilt and desperation. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I don’t know how to fix this, Nate. But I’ll do whatever it takes. Anything. Just tell me what to do. Please help me, Nate.”

Nate shook his head, his anger still burning beneath the surface. “You don’t get to ask me what to do, Ryan. You should’ve thought about that before you decided to destroy my family.”

Ryan nodded silently, the weight of his actions pressing down on him like a physical force. For the first time in his life, he truly understood the depth of the hole he had dug for himself. And for the first time, he realized that there might not be a way out.

“Fuck. Fuck... fuck... fuck...” Nate’s voice cracked, raw with anger and disbelief. He turned sharply, his eyes blazing as he faced Ryan.

Ryan flinched, bracing himself. Here it comes, he thought. Michael had threatened him, but Nate would be the one to finish the job—and he deserved it. He closed his eyes, ready for whatever was about to happen.

Instead, Nate grabbed him, pulling him into a tight, almost suffocating hug.

Ryan froze, caught off guard. This wasn’t what he expected.

“I’ll help you,” Nate said, his voice low but steady. “I can’t forgive what you’ve done, Ryan—not yet—but I’ll help you. We need to set things right. Michael... if he’s gay, that’s his truth. That’s his choice to make, not yours, and not his mother’s. He needs to come clean, for Sarah’s sake. For everyone’s sake.”

Ryan felt the weight of Nate’s words, a mix of relief and guilt washing over him. Tears slipped silently down his cheeks as he buried his face in Nate’s shoulder, not knowing whether he deserved the second chance he was being offered—but grateful for it all the same.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever trust you again, Ryan. But this isn’t just about us. It’s about my sister, her kids, and even Michael. If helping you means protecting them, then I’ll do it. But don’t mistake this for forgiveness.”

For the next few days, Nate stayed close to Ryan, trying to find a way out of the mess Ryan had entangled himself in. Though his anger still simmered beneath the surface, Nate knew he had to push through it—for the sake of his family. But the questions weighed heavily on him: How do you unravel this when your brother-in-law is living a secret life? How do you even begin to tell your sister that her husband is cheating, with other men? And would she believe him?

Every time Ryan’s phone buzzed, Nate noticed his hesitation.

“Ryan, you’ve got to pick it up. If it’s her, she’ll suspect something’s up,” Nate urged.

“It’s not her. It’s him. It’s Michael,” Ryan muttered, unable to meet Nate’s eyes.

Nate’s expression hardened. “You’re not going to see him, are you? You better not.”

“No, of course not. But what do I tell him? If I go silent, he’ll know something’s wrong,” Ryan admitted, his voice low with fear and guilt.

Nate ran a hand through his hair, his frustration bubbling over. “Are you serious right now? Ryan, you are not seeing Michael. Not now, not ever. We’ve got to figure out how to cut him off without making him—or anyone else—suspicious.”

Ryan nodded, but the weight of the situation pressed down on him. He knew Nate was right, but breaking ties with Michael without blowing the whole situation wide open felt like trying to defuse a bomb with no training. And the clock was ticking.

Nate leaned forward, his tone firm and unyielding. “Okay, listen. This is what you’re going to do. Honesty is the best policy, right? You’re going to be honest with Michael.”

Ryan’s face turned pale. “What? I can’t tell Michael—”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Nate cut him off sharply. “It’ll be close enough to the truth without tipping him off. Listen to me carefully. This is what you’re going to tell him.” Nate’s voice was steady as he outlined the plan. “Word for word. Got it?”

Ryan nodded reluctantly, his stomach churning. “Yes… yes, I can do this.”

“Good. Call him back. Now.”

Ryan’s eyes widened, and he clutched the phone like it was a bomb about to go off. “What, now?”

“Call him, Ryan. On speakerphone,” Nate ordered, crossing his arms and stepping back. His stern gaze made it clear there was no room for argument.

Ryan’s hand shook as he dialed Michael’s number. His heart pounded as the line rang, each second feeling like an eternity.

Michael picked up after two rings. “Hey, Ryan. What’s up?”

Ryan stammered, but before he could speak, Michael continued, his tone light and dismissive. “You’re not still upset over what happened at the summer house, are you? Come on, I was just having a little fun. Listen, I wanna see you. Why don’t we meet there again? I have the keys, and nobody ever goes out there. Just you and me… and bring your toys.”

Ryan froze, unable to speak as Michael’s words sank in. He glanced at Nate, whose jaw was tight, fury written all over his face. Nate motioned for Ryan to keep going.

Ryan forced himself to speak, his voice trembling. “Michael… I can’t. Not right now. I think Nate suspects something. He’s been checking my phone and watching me closely. I think he knows.”

There was a sharp inhale from Michael on the other end. “What? What did you do?” Michael’s tone shifted, sharp and accusatory. “I told you to be careful! Delete the messages. Clear your call records. Fuck.”

Nate’s fists clenched at his sides, his anger rising with every word Michael said. Ryan struggled to maintain his composure.

“Michael,” Ryan continued, trying to keep his voice steady, “I’m laying low for now. I can’t risk Nate finding out. He’s been suspicious lately.”

“Fine,” Michael snapped. “Lay low. Don’t give him your phone. I’ll figure something out. I can always meet up with someone else…”

Ryan’s stomach turned, and he dared to glance at Nate, whose face now burned with fury.

Ryan hesitated. “Who are you going to see?” he asked quietly.

Michael chuckled darkly. “Does it matter to you? You’re tied up with your little Nate problem. I’m not waiting around. I can’t keep fucking her… it disgusts me. Just get your shit together and call me when you’re in the clear.”

Michael’s indifference hit like a slap in the face, and the room fell silent. Nate broke the tension, his voice low and filled with barely contained rage. “Hang up.” whispered Nate to Ryan.

Ryan fumbled to end the call, his hands trembling. The silence in the room was deafening as Nate began pacing, his fists clenched, his mind racing.

Certainly, we can intensify Nate's anger by focusing more on his emotional connection to Sarah and how her betrayal impacts him personally. Here’s an enhanced version:

“So that’s the great Michael, huh?” Nate spat, his voice trembling with rage, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles went white. “Treats you like trash, tosses you aside for the next ‘boy toy,’ and you just went along with it? You thought this was some fucking game? He used you, Ryan, but worse—he’s using my sister. My sister! The woman who gave him everything. The mother of his kids. And you? You helped him. Both of you disgust me.”

He stood up abruptly, pacing like a caged animal, his voice rising with each word. “I wanna tell Sarah everything right now, blow his whole fucking life up. But no. That’s too easy. He doesn’t get to walk away from this unscathed. He doesn’t get to rebuild like nothing happened. I’m going to let him dig his own grave. And then? We’ll play his mom’s game. We’ll turn it against her, against him, and if his dad’s involved, I’ll bring him down too. Every single one of them, Ryan. These leeches have fed off my family long enough. They don’t get to ruin Sarah, not while I’m still standing.”

Nate stopped for a moment, and continued thinking about the situation Ryan had put him and his family in.

"I'm sure he's made other mistakes. Tell me about your trip to New York. Who paid for it?" Nate’s tone was sharp, demanding answers.

Ryan hesitated for a moment, knowing he couldn’t sugarcoat this. He recounted everything about the New York trip—the tickets, the hotel, the lavish spending—and how Michael had arranged it all.

"So he used a credit card to buy the tickets? Whose credit card? Did he tell you? And this Janelle woman, who is she? You said she knows Sarah?" Nate leaned forward, his eyes boring into Ryan, his frustration mounting with every passing second.

Ryan stammered, “I—I don’t know whose credit card he used. Michael didn’t exactly give me a play-by-play. He just said everything was taken care of and handed me the card. I didn’t ask questions. As for Janelle, all I know is that she works at the same company as Michael and apparently knows Sarah. That’s it.”

Nate’s laugh was humorless, sharp. “So he just handed you a card, and you didn’t think to ask whose name was on it? Christ, Ryan. You’re worse than I thought. And Janelle? If she knows Sarah, then this whole thing might be even more fucked up than I realized. Who else is tangled up in this mess?”

He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration bubbling over. “This is hurting my brain. I can’t believe everything I’m hearing. You’ve been sitting on a pile of dynamite, Ryan, and I’ve got to figure out how to light it without blowing everything to hell.”

Nate stood abruptly, pacing. “I’m going to bring him down. All of them. Michael, his mom, his fucking dad—whoever else is in this disgusting web. They don’t deserve Sarah, and they sure as hell don’t deserve to play happy family while they’re stabbing her in the back. But I need to think about this. I need to be smart.”

He turned to Ryan, his eyes blazing with a mix of determination and fury. “I’m heading home. If either of them calls you—Michael or his mom—I don’t care what time it is, you call me. Immediately. Do you understand me, Ryan?”

Ryan could only nod, feeling the weight of Nate’s words like a hammer pounding into his chest. He was relieved to have finally told Nate the truth about Michael, to have someone on his side who wasn’t part of the charade. But at the same time, he knew the game was far from over.

Michael was on high alert, his mother was a ticking time bomb, and his father—well, who the hell knew what role he played in all of this? And now Nate was diving headfirst into the mess, determined to protect his sister and her kids at all costs.

But where did that leave Ryan? Was there a future with Nate after everything he’d done? He didn’t know. All he knew was that the stakes had never been higher, and the road ahead was a minefield.

Nate turned back one last time, his voice low and cutting. “And Ryan? If I find out you’re holding back even one shred of the truth, I will be done with you. For good... and you will go down.”

Ryan’s stomach twisted, the guilt and uncertainty eating him alive. He nodded again, silently praying he wouldn’t screw this up any more than he already had.

Nate’s voice cracked, his anger boiling over into pure, unfiltered emotion. “Sarah deserves better than this. My niece and nephew deserve better than this. And I’m going to make damn sure they get it. I don’t care how far I have to go.”

Ryan shrank under Nate’s glare, his guilt consuming him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, his voice barely audible. “I know I messed up. I—”

“Don’t,” Nate cut him off, holding up a hand. “Just don’t. You were right about one thing: we have to stop him. Not just for Sarah, but for everyone he’s screwed over. This has to end.”

Ryan looked up, a flicker of hope crossing his face despite his guilt. “You’ll help me?”

Nate’s expression softened slightly, though his anger still simmered beneath the surface. “Yeah. I said I would, didn’t I? I shouldn’t, but you’ve dragged me into this mess. Let me make one thing clear again, though: this isn’t for you. This is for Sarah. For my niece and nephew. For my family. And because no one should get away with this.”

Ryan hesitated, biting his lip. “What about his mom? She’s expecting me to keep feeding her information.”

Nate’s jaw tightened. “Damn. I forgot about her. Is this entire family full of psychopaths? I bet his dad’s in on it too.”

Ryan shook his head quickly. “No, I don’t think so. His dad’s pretty meek and timid. He just… takes orders from his wife.”

Nate let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “I doubt it. This family is seriously messed up. How did Sarah not see this coming?” He wasn’t really asking Ryan, more venting his disbelief.

After a moment, he straightened up, his tone sharper. “Okay. You tell her the same thing you told Michael. Play it safe, it will keep her off your back for now. That should buy us some time to figure out what the hell we’re going to do next.”

“Should I call her now?” Ryan asked hesitantly.

“Ryan… of course! Call her now. You need space. We need space,” Nate said firmly, his voice rising in frustration. “What the hell did she do to you? She’s completely messed with your head. Speakerphone, Ryan. Let’s do this.”

Ryan swallowed hard, picked up his phone, and dialed Mrs. Evans. As the line rang, he replayed Nate’s instructions over and over in his mind. Stay cool. Stay calm.

When the call connected, Mrs. Evans’s voice came through sharp and direct. “Ryan. What now?”

He launched into the same excuse he’d given Michael, his words trembling slightly but holding together. He finished, leaving silence on the other end of the line.

“Mrs. Evans? Are you still there?” Ryan asked nervously.

“Yes. I’m thinking…” she replied coolly, her tone calculated. After a pause, she added, “Fine. Stay away from Michael for now. Stick close to your boyfriend. He shouldn't suspect anything. Keep me updated, and don’t slip up. Do you understand?”

Ryan nodded instinctively before realizing she couldn’t see him. “Yes. I’ll call you as soon as I can,” he said, glancing nervously at Nate.

Just as Ryan was about to hang up, a muffled voice came through the line. Nate, listening closely held his hand up prompting Ryan to not disconnect.

“Small setback. Nate—Ryan’s boyfriend—thinks Michael knows about him,” Mrs. Evans said, her voice directed at someone else.

“I told you, don’t push the boy,” another voice replied, calm but unmistakable.

Nate’s eyes widened in recognition. That voice. He knew that voice.

“Dammit,” Mrs. Evans muttered, and the line went dead.

For a moment, the room was silent. Nate stood frozen, piecing everything together. His mind raced, trying to reconcile the voice he’d just heard with everything he thought he knew about Michael’s family.

“This is unbelievable,” Nate finally said, breaking the silence.

“What? I don’t get it,” Ryan said, his voice edged with panic.

“That guy speaking? That was his dad,” Nate said, his words slow and deliberate as if trying to convince himself. “Michael’s dad. The meek, quiet pushover who never stood up to his wife. He’s involved in all of this?” Nate shook his head, his anger bubbling to the surface. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

Ryan looked at Nate, his expression blank with shock. “I… I didn’t know. I didn’t think… He’s always in the background. He doesn’t say much. How is he involved?”

Nate’s jaw clenched, his frustration mounting. “That’s exactly what I want to know. This runs deeper than I thought. This isn’t just Michael’s mom pulling the strings. They’re both in on it.”

Ryan sank onto the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. “What do we do now?”

Nate paced the room, his fists clenched at his sides. “Nothing. We find out what they’re planning, and we end this. No more games, Ryan. We’re going to expose every last one of them.”

Ryan looked up at Nate, his fear slowly giving way to a glimmer of hope. For the first time, he felt like there might be a way out of this nightmare. Whatever came next, he would follow Nate’s lead. It was time to take Michael—and maybe even his mother and now his father—down.