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“What the hell was that?” I ask him, furious.

“Get in the car.”

“You’re jealous. That’s what happened just then, isn’t it?”

“Get in the car, Jolie.”

“Admit it,” I say, not moving. “You left the penthouse and came all this way tonight and parked here like this and walked inside the club to find me because you are jealous.”

“No.”

“Come on, say it. Say the truth.”

“Get. In. The. Car.”

I let out a smile and slowly make my way to the open door.

“You are jealous, Fabien. It’s so obvious. It’s adorable how desperately you’re trying to hide it.”

The man slams the door behind me. He slides into the driver’s seat and roars the car away from the curb.

We speed toward the Castaways’ penthouse. There’s a long silence as I sit beside him, my hands held neatly in my lap.

“You’re right,” Fabien finally admits in a deep whisper. “I am jealous.”

“Ha. I knew it.”

“Do you even know how hard it has been trying to hold myself back from you? I wanted vengeance on you for so long. I wanted you to know how much pain you caused me. But when I’m with you now I can’t... I can’t...”

He can’t even form a coherent thought.

“You’re not here to control me,” I reply sternly. “I didn’t need your help in there. I could’ve handled it myself.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’d have you know that I was about to ram my elbow down his throat.”

“You needed me in there, Jolie.”

I swallow the lump in my throat.

“Why do you think you own me?” I ask him. “You’re not my rescuer, so stop with the ego trip. This entire week is fake, Fabien. It’s another stupid Castaways game that we’ve both been forced to play out to the amusement of Leopold and his goons. We just need to play it, and in a few days, we won’t ever see each other again, and that will be it. You won’t ever be in the same room as me again, and you certainly won’t have to drag me out of nightclubs.”

“You’re correct there.”

“But you need to do one thing, Fabien.”

“What?”

“Forget about it all,” I say quietly. “Forget about our teenage history. The past is the past, and you’re only going to cause more hurt if you keep on it. You’ll fail this task, and your future, if you destroy us over what happened.”

I sense Fabien tense at my statement. Those aren’t the words he wanted to hear, but it’s the truth. He’s torturing himself, and for what?

“You’re wrong,” Fabien replies. “The past still matters. The past is what I am today. The Masked Killer and what he did to my family. What you did to me. The past is so fucking important.”

“This is exactly what the Castaways want you to think,” I shoot back. “They’re manipulating you, as they always do. Can’t you see it? They want to break you down to be another loyal, dumb foot soldier.”

“Don’t you dare talk about the Castaways like...”