Page 7 of When Hearts Unravel

I glance away. “Say hi to Belle and Millie for me. Too bad they aren’t coming to the girls’ meetup next week.”

A misdirection. Maxwell loves his wife, Belle, and Ryland, likewise, is utterly devoted to his fiancée, Millie.

Without waiting for their response, I hurry to the elevator bay, my heart squeezing, a faint echo of the sensation I felt whenever Mia was in trouble—the time Dan Larkin, Pasadena High’s resident bad boy and heartthrob cheated on her and she keyed his car, or when she got her rejection letter from Harvard, her dream school.

What’s the use of having a twin-sense when your twin is gone?

My breathing is thready when I press the elevator call button. I reach into my tote and pull out my phone, finding a voicemail notification.

“Olivia, it’s Ma. When are you coming to visit? Your birthday is in a few months. Your ba says he hasn’t heard from you in a while. Areyou taking care of yourself? Have you eaten yet? You young people think you’re invincible, but before you know it, life will catch up and those health issues will start…”

The hollow ache in my chest recedes as I listen to Mom’s rambling message and Dad clearing his throat in the background.

Have you eaten yet?It’s her way of saying she loves me withouttellingme she loves me—the classic love language of Chinese immigrants.

“I saw a quality cut of pork belly at the market this morning. Come visit, and I’ll make your favoritehong shao rou. We can go to a new restaurant together. You like to try different places out. You and your sis—” She falls silent. She still can’t say Mia’s name. “Anyway, make sure you eat on time. Call me.”

Tears suddenly well in my eyes and I press my hand to my chest, trying to soothe the ache.

I want to call her back and tell her to say Mia’s name. I want to scream into the receiver thathong shao rou, braised pork belly, has never been my favorite dish, thatpappardelle al cinghiale,handmade pasta with wild boar ragu is. I want to remind her it was Mia who enjoyed trying out new places, not me. I want to ask her to stop sending me tins of almond cookies—cookies I force myself to eat because I was raised not to waste food—even though I never liked them. Mia did. Not me.

But does any of it matter now?

I can’t bring myself to visit Los Angeles or to call her back. Especially not for this birthday.Ourthirtieth—the year ofthepromise.

But then I remind myself my parents lost a daughter. That’s devastating. No child should leave this earth before her parents.

Guilt seizes me as I remember I’m the only one they have left. I should be better than this.

I’m the good, obedient daughter. The oldest. The one they never had to worry about.

“Mystique is so lit tonight. The music and the deejay. It’s the party of the month.” The elevator door opens, and two bejeweled women in short skirts and slinkydresses chatter inside.

Not looking at them, I step in, my heart rate kicking up the way it usually does when I’m in tight spaces. But I can do it, not let my claustrophobia, among other fears, rule my life.

Focusing on my breathing, I think about my upcoming birthday, Maxwell and Ryland’s concern, my parents, and the pile of work I have waiting for me at home.

And Mia.

“Carpe diem! That’s the saying, right? I can’t wait to get plastered.”

My head snaps up, pulse rickety inside my ears. The promise I made to Mia floats to the surface. The one I haven’t fulfilled yet because she wanted me to complete it when I turn thirty.

“Live for me. Promise me, Olive. When you’re thirty, do it for me. Go to Valencia. Experience Las Fallas for me. Burn our regrets. Don’t stop living because of me.”

Carpe diem.

My chest seizes. The hairs on my forearms stand, and I brace myself for the chaos inside the club.

The elevator doors open, and loud, pulsing music and jovial laughter filter inside the small compartment. The women exit, clearly excited about their night ahead.

Carpe diem.

The twin-sense, which has been absent or faint in the past twelve years, flares to life for the very first time since Mia’s death.

My to-do list vaporizes. I stick my hand out to keep the doors from shutting.

My lungs constrict and I step into the raucous environment of Mystique.