Page 49 of When Hearts Unravel

Three dots appear, then disappear.

Elias

Just keep the move alive until I get there. And no, I’ll never give you a hug. I’ll feed myself to the sharks before that happens.

I smirk, imagining the broody mobster flicking his lighter with one hand, rubbing his temple with the other. What a rare gift I have—the ability to inspire polarizing emotions in people.

“How’s therapy going? Did I tell you I’m proud of you for doing it?” Casey says.

Sliding my phone into my pocket, I glance up, finding Casey idling in the foyer. He’s smiling like I’ve impressed him. I haven’t seen that in ages—the last time was when I was fifteen and confessed to Ryland I had driven his car into a ditch by accident.

I was scared shitless, but that wasn’t anything new. The scaredy cat hadn’t quite grown out of being spooked. I worked on it relentlessly, but my impulse was to hide in a hole and avoid terrifying things or people.

While Ryland was only sixteen then, he still had the same no-nonsense professor vibe he carries now. And the man could hold a grudge. But I told myself fear was good for me. Mom said I had to face my fears to get over them.

Casey was proud when I told Ryland. He said it was the right thing to do.

I survived my brother’s wrath, but he’d never let me drive his cars again.

“You’re silent. You fucked up, didn’t you?” The warmth disappears from Casey’s voice and his shoulder slumps. “What did you do?”

A slideshow of Olivia plays in my mind. Her observations of me are on point—my self-hatred, the anger I tamp down, how everything stems from secrets and loss.

If she was clinically detached, the way a doctor should be, I could’ve laughed it off and charmed her enough to distract her.

But she isn’t. She acts like she cares. Like my pain somehow hurts her.

“You’re not fucking the doctor, are you?”

“No, dipshit. Nothing happened between us.”

“And it’ll stay that way, you hear me? You’re an Anderson with billions of dollars attached to your name. You can commit murder in broad daylight and get away with it.”

Casey’s voice becomes more urgent. “She can’t, Rex. She’s not a plaything. If you mess with her, you’re messing with her career, her livelihood. Please, ruin your life, don’t ruin anyone else’s.”

His words sink deep into my gut. He’s right, as always.

Casey sighs. “She’s good at what she does. Make an effort, won’t you? Keep your dick inside your pants andhelpher help you.”

Wetting my lips, I ignore him and the anvil compressing my lungs.

Before I walk out the door, I slide my hand into my pocket and grip my red marble, a reminder of my past, not that I’d ever forget. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. Nothing’s going to happen.”

In another life, perhaps…

My chest aches, but I ignore it.

Nothing will happen.

I’ll protect Olivia from myself.

I won’t ruin her life if I can help it.

Chapter Sixteen

“This may be thebest work trip I’ve ever been on,” Rhys says, the sun dipping beneath the horizon in the distance, casting the whitewashed buildings and blue domes of Pyrgos Village in amber and violet. “Beautiful setting and…” he winks, “meeting new friends.”

After spending a few days catching up on paperwork and conducting my first teleconferences with patients back in the city, I decided to venture off the cruise to see Santorini today. The girls were adamant I should have some fun outside of working and we’re already a little over a week into the cruise.