Blurred Lies (The Blurred Series Book 1) (22 page)

Blurred Truth

The Blurred Series: Book 2

Published by Elle Ellerton

Copyright © 2015 Elle Ellerton

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

For permission requests, contact the publisher at
[email protected]

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual places, actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ryan

I thought she wanted something from me, back when we were just kids, so I did everything I could to push her away without alienating myself from the family who treated me like I was more than just a means to an end. More than a criminal’s errand boy.

I was just a boy to them. A boy with a future brighter than his past.

All Natalie was guilty of wanting was my affection, and that’s no crime at all.

Wasn’t I guilty of wanting the same? From her parents, at least.

Didn’t I revel in the small gestures of kindness they would show me, whilst doing my best to hide my true feelings and not become too attached to them? Keeping my distance, emotionally. Afraid they would realize what a messed up family I came from; the things I’d done, and eventually push me away to protect their own children?

I wouldn’t have blamed them if they had...but they didn’t. They did the opposite, and how did I repay them?

I got them killed.

It’s my fault they’re dead, and Natalie will never love me once she finds out the truth.

To be continued...

First and foremost, thank you to everyone who took the time to read this story, and thank you to everyone who has encouraged me to continue writing. An author is their own worst critic and, sometimes, the desire to give up is almost impossible to resist. It’s the kind words of readers that can often be the catalyst to keep going. So, thank you. And I’m truly sorry for the cliffhanger. I didn’t even intend for this to be more than one book from the beginning, but stories are living things that grow and change with time. I promise I won’t keep you hanging too long!

Thank you to my best friend, Charlotte. Without your recommendations, I wouldn’t have even been reading romance novels (every spare moment I got), let alone writing them. Thank you for being my first beta reader and helping me fix the plot holes. Thank you for being patient and waiting weeks on end for a new chapter, without pressuring me.

Without you, this book wouldn’t exist.

And thank you, Elaine, for being my second, very patient beta reader. Your hilarious commentary each step of the way kept my spirits up when I thought I might be close to quitting. Thank you for taking time out of your day for Ryan and Natalie.

Thanks to Jess and Sarah for being the first ‘strangers’ who beta read for me. Your feedback was so helpful.

Jess, your words of encouragement really gave me the confidence to hit the ‘publish’ button on this story, so thank you, again.

Thanks to the amazing authors R. J. Lewis, Stylo Fantôm and Penelope Douglas for all your advice and words of wisdom. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my messages and doing your best to assuage my fears about self-publishing. Thanks for your honesty, but, most of all, thanks for writing the amazing stories you write. They have been such a big part of my inspiration from the very beginning.

Thanks to all the authors who write the stories I love to get lost in. There are so many! And thanks to E. L. James for writing the book that started it all for me.

Thank you to all my family for your love and support, and a special thank you to my mum for always believing in me, even when I didn’t.
Especially when I didn’t
. Thank you for encouraging me to pursue my dreams, no matter how extravagant and impossible to reach they may be. Thank you for reading all those yawn-worthy articles I wrote back when I first started this writing thing. Most of all - thank you for being you.

I love you.

Finally, thank you to my husband. Thank you for letting me be an introvert, sitting on the couch in pajamas, writing and reading all weekend, pretty much every weekend, for months on-end. Thank you for dealing with my mood swings (I know they’re frequent!). Thank you for doing the dishes and laundry and walking the dog. Thank you for moving to the other side of the world for me. Thank you for loving me the way I am.

I love you to the moon and back.

You can find me here:

Facebook:
www.Facebook.com/Elle.Ellerton

or
www.Facebook.com/ElleEllertonAuthor

Twitter:
www.Twitter.com/ElleEllerton

Goodreads:
www.goodreads.com/user/show/45195165-elle-ellerton

E-mail:
[email protected]

I’d love to hear from you!

Reviews are so important and much appreciated. If you have the time, please review this story on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you!