THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE CHAPTER 49- THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE LARRY'S POV II don't even know what the hell I was thinking when I dialed her number . Maybe I thought she wouldn't pick . Maybe I wanted to hear her voice just one last time . Casual , Larry , keep it casual . Just check in . Don't do it , Larry . She'll spit fire . She'll burn you alive . Then ... fuck . She actually picked . For a moment , it was just silence ... dead silence ... like she was deciding whether to breathe or let me suffocate . My chest was pounding like I'd swallowed a hammer . Say something , idiot . " Hey , " I muttered , almost testing the waters . And she chuckled . Not a warm one . The kind of laugh that sounded like it crawled out of something broken . " Really , Larry ? Hey ? " Her voice was different . Like she'd been crying until her throat turned raw . " How are you doing ? " I asked , trying to sound steady , but my voice cracked anyway . " Go straight to the point , Larry . " Her tone was flat and cold ... like she had a knife pressed to my throat . I scratched the back of my neck . " Uhm ... how's Marvin ? " The second his name left my mouth , her tone became sharper . " Marvin ? " she repeated , and then laughed coldly . " Oh , you mean the same person you shot and left to die ? " My stomach dropped . Shit . She thought- she really thought I did it . " Maya ... I didn't- " " Shut it , you bastard ! " she snapped . " You had beef with him . And your whore came over to the house , then three days later my brother gets a bullet in his neck . What do you have to say for that ? " I stayed quiet . I wanted to explain , but her words had already nailed me to the wall . She had already crowned me guilty . ? Now she laughed again ... a bitter one that hurt to hear . " And now you call to check on him ? Pretend you care ? Typical killer . " " Maya , I swear I didn't do it . I swear I'll find the bastard who did . " " Wow . What did you study again ? It must be theatre and media arts ... wasn't it ? I guess you've gone pretty far in acting , huh ? Even called himself a bastard . Bravo , Larry . Standing ovation . " " Maya , please . Believe me . " Her voice cracked this time , and I felt it twist my insides . " Did I even matter to you ? Like ... ever ? " " Of course you did . You still do ." She laughed - sharp , painful , hollow . " I do ? " es . " She laughed again , but it was broken this time , almost choking . " I do ? Really ? And yet you replaced me with that classless daughter of a bitch . And then you weren't satisfied ... you tried to kill my brother . Do you hate me that much ? Do you want me in pain that badly ? Why did you let me sign it , Larry ? Why didn't you just marry Brandy instead of dragging me into your 1/3 THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE +25 BONUS mess ? " Her sobs cracked through the phone , and I swear my throat closed up . " Maya , please ... " was all I managed . Just those two pathetic words . " Don't . " she snapped back . " Listen , dog . I'll find evidence . I'll sue you and that bitch . And here's some advice .don't ever call me again . I mean ... if you still like your balls . " Maya ... " " I hate you Larry . " I sat there with the phone still pressed to my ear , even though the line was dead , like maybe if I held it long enough she'd change her mind and call back . God , she thinks I pulled the trigger . She thinks I wanted Marvin dead . Fuck . Every word replayed in my head , stabbing deeper each time . " Typical killer . " " Dog . " hate you . " She meant every damn word . And the worst part ? I deserved half of it . I didn't shoot him . I didn't . But did it matter ? She doesn't believe me . I pressed my palm to my forehead , cursing under my breath . I wanted to scream . I wanted throw the phone against the wall , smash it into a hundred pieces . But what good would that do ? Would it bring her back to me ? Would it erase that crack in her voice when she asked if she ever mattered ? Because she did . More than she'll ever know . And now ... she hates me . MAYA'S POV I don't even know why I picked up his call . My thumb moved before my brain caught up , and the second I saw his name flash on my screen , my chest tightened like someone had pressed a knife against it . Larry . Of all people . After everything . I thought maybe I'd hear silence . Or maybe he'd just hang up . But no . His voice came through , casual , soft , like he hadn't wrecked me . Like he hadn't ruined everything . And I hated how familiar it sounded . I hated how part of me still recognized it like a song I didn't want stuck in my head . The anger came fast . It always does . Marvin didn't deserve that . Not him . And the timing , the way everything happened , it all pointed back to Larry . It had to . Who else would hurt me like that ? Who else would rip apart the little family I had left ? I lashed out . I didn't even think , I just poured every word , every accusation like venom , because that's all I had left to defend myself with . If I didn't sound strong , I'd break . And I can't afford to break . Not now . Not when my brother's still hanging on to life and I'm the only one holding him together . And still ... under all that anger , I heard myself slipping . Asking if I ever mattered . The tears came before I could stop them , burning hot , making me feel weak . Because deep down , maybe I wanted him to say something real . Something that would make me believe , even for a second , that I wasn't just another disposable piece in his ugly little game . But no . Larry doesn't get that chance anymore . Not from me . He's guilty in my book until I see proof otherwise , and I'll drag that proof out if it kills me , I'll sue him . I'll drag his name and that woman's name through the mud until they choke on it . I told him never to call me again , and I meant it . I don't care if my heart cracked when I hung up . I don't care if I can still hear his voice in the silence now . All I care about is Marvin breathing . Marvin surviving . And making sure Larry pays . Because if I let myself believe him , even for a second , it'll break me . And I can't afford to break anymore . THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE +25 BONUS Damian was gone now . He'd excused himself just before I picked up that bastard's call , and thank God he did , because if he had stayed , he would've seen me shatter . I couldn't let him . Not minutes later , there was a knock at the door . It was a man in his mid thirties , he said he came to see how Marvin was faring . When I asked his name and their relationship , he said his name was Rico ... and I immediately remembered : He was Marvin's secret agent ... or something like that . His eyes told me the same story ... dark , sharp , and restless . He wasn't polished like the rest of them , no . His shirt was wrinkled , his stubble a little too rough , but there was something dangerous in the way he stood , something useful . I wiped my tears quickly , like they had never existed . No weakness to be seen atleast , not now . If Marvin once trusted him , then Rico was my closest shot at evidence to expose those scum . I folded my arms , staring him down . " You worked for Marvin before , " I said , my voice steady even though my heart was pacing . " Now , you'll work for me . " His smirk was slow , almost amused , like he had been waiting for me to say that . " And if I say no ? " " Then you can get out of my sight and pretend you never knew him . But if you stay , Rico ... " I stepped closer , meeting his eyes head - on , " ... you'll help me bring down the bastards who did this . And you'll be paid . More than Marvin ever gave you . " He hesitated . " Fine . I'm yours now . "