Eventually, the tears slow. My body must have run out of whatever it needs to produce them. I’m drained. Hollow. Empty.
I stare at the ceiling tiles and try to remember when this pattern started. Because yeah, Knox was always different from Owen, but he wasn’t always cruel. That was new, and it became a cycle—Knox drawing blood and Owen bandaging the wounds.
It’s been years.
A memory forms in my mind. Six years ago.
The summer after everything fell apart and I learned exactly what Knox Aldrich thought of me.
The last thingI ever expected was an invitation to Rachel’s birthday party. When the text came through, I thought it was spam at first. I stared at it for a solid ten minutes, thinking of all the excuses I could give to get out of it.
I was sick. I had a summer job. I’m actually going to be out of town.
I’d have said literally anything to avoid facing everyone from the Ashford social circle. But then another text came through. Rachel begging me to come.
“Please come. I miss you. Everyone misses you.”
Everyone definitely did not miss me, but I agreed anyway. When the day came, I put on my best bikini, spent extra time on my hair, even though we’d be swimming, and walked through her door faking as much confidence as I could muster.
I hadn’t been to Rachel’s house since high school, but it was exactly like I remembered. White columns, perfectly manicured lawns, a pool area about the same size as the one from the last resort I’d been to. Fairy lights glittered overhead as the sun set, and pop music pulsed from speakers masked as landscapingrocks. Everywhere I looked, people were laughing, drinking, beautiful and carefree in their expensive swimsuits and easy privilege.
That was me not too long ago. I used to belong here. Even if a lot of them were pretentious asses anyway, it was nice to fit in.
Now I was the girl whose father had destroyed half the families in this town. The poor scholarship kid at community college while everyone else was away at prestigious universities, living their best lives, knowing nothing of scandal or family ruin.
“Sawyer! You made it!”
Rachel spotted me from across the pool area, and her face lit up. She pushed through a few people I recognized from high school, her white bikini barely holding on as she picked up her pace. She pulled me into a hug that surprisingly felt genuine, and I soaked it in for a moment. It had been too long since I felt important to someone.
“You know I wouldn’t miss your birthday,” I lied, feeling guilt weigh on my shoulders instantly.
“Come on, everyone’s in the pool. Ryan’s here—you remember Ryan Morrison? And Madison and Bree and…” She rattled off names, most of which I recognized from our school or the one just outside Ashford. Every name made my stomach squeeze.
I followed her through the crowd, hyperaware of eyes and whispers following me. A few people smiled, but most looked away.
The pool was massive, with a waterfall at one end and a hot tub at the other. People floated on inflatable loungers, drinks in hand, having the time of their lives.
I felt like an actor in a borrowed costume.
“Is Owen here?” I asked, searching the crowd for the one face I knew would be genuinely happy to see me. Even aftereverything, he promises he could never hate me. I don’t know what I’d do without him in my life.
“Yeah, he’s around somewhere. Oh! And his hot brother’s here too. Knox. My brother invited him, they’re like best friends now or something.”
My stomach went from squeezing to dropping altogether. “Knox is here?”
“Yeah, why? Aren’t you guys practically siblings or something?”
Oh God. I hadn’t seen Knox in months. Not since he looked at me on the courthouse steps and said, “Your family destroyed mine. Stay the fuck away from me.”
It broke me. More than losing our wealth. Having to leave school mid-semester. Losing all my friends. Watching my parent’s marriage crumble.
Knox’s words hit me like an arrow to the chest, but I didn’t argue. I stayed away exactly like he wanted me to.
“Siblings?” I repeated. “God, no. Our families just used to be close.”
She didn’t meet my eyes. “Oh. And now you’re not ‘cause of?—”
“Yup,” I cut her off, not wanting to get into it any further.
