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“Thanks.” Passing the bottle back to Winter, I gave her a tentative smile as I mirrored her position, toeing off my own shoes and bringing my legs up onto the sofa. “So, what’s the story? Why would you rather put it behind you?”
“I’d just moved here. I transferred to Alstone College in my second year. My housemate at the time—my friend Kinslee—told me about a party that was happening here. It was a ‘welcome back to uni’ party, and she persuaded me to go with her. I remember standing outside the house and feeling so nervous, seeing how huge it was and so different to anything else I’d experienced in my life up until that point. And that was coupled with the knowledge that, um…certain people might be there.”
“Certain people?”
She bit down on her lip. “Yeah. Caiden and Weston. They’re my stepbrothers.”
I stared at her, trying to remember what Jessa had told me. Of course—Winter’s mother had married Arlo Cavendish, their dad.
“We hadn’t met each other before our parents got married,” she added, “So it was the first time I’d seen them outside of a photo. All of the Four were there together, and well, you know how intimidating they can be.” She paused, and her gaze flicked to mine. “You know who they are?”
“Yes.” My voice came out croaky. Taking the bottle from her, I tipped it to my lips, letting the bubbling liquid slide down my throat, soothing me.
“Okay, well, Caiden was there staring at me like he wanted to murder me or something. He was so hostile. I hated it because he was so fucking sexy, you know? I really didn’t want to be attracted to him.”
I knew all too well what that was like, especially after what had happened earlier. Why had I let Zayde get so close to me? What would have happened if I hadn’t managed to gather the strength to leave?
“What happened then?”
She grimaced. “I went home with someone I shouldn’t have. Someone I regretted sleeping with afterwards. My head wasn’t in a good place after seeing Cade, and he and I had a bit of a hostile encounter before I left, too.” A sigh fell from her lips. “It seems so weird to look back on it now, especially because I’m living here, and Cade is just…I love him so much. It’s funny how life can change in ways you never expected.”
“You’re right.” Handing the bottle back to her, I rested my head against the soft leather of the sofa backrest. “How did you get over that and end up together?” It was something I didn’t know because Jessa hadn’t touched on their relationship outside of what she’d told me relating to my family members.
There was a long silence, her gaze becoming faraway. Eventually, she said, “We just couldn’t stay away from each other. It was…it was rocky to begin with. Really rocky. We had a lot of things to work out.” Her voice softened. “But we fell in love. And I would do anything for him, and I know he would for me. He…he took a bullet for me.”
“Hewhat?” My mouth fell open.
She clapped her hand over her mouth. “Fuck! I didn’t mean to say that. It’s not common knowledge.”
“I won’t say anything, I promise.” There was no way I’d ever take advantage. Even if she hadn’t meant to confide in me, it already felt like there was a level of trust she was placing in me, openly discussing her first experiences with the Four, wanting to put me at ease.
“I don’t even know why I said that. But thank you.” Slumping down further, she took a long drink from the bottle. “So…please, can we change the subject? What’s your story? What brought you here tonight?”
It was time for me to confess. I steeled myself. “Um…before we start, can I have a bit more of that drink, please?”
She laughed as she gave me the bottle. “I’m already intrigued.”
After taking another bolstering swig of the fizzing drink, I cleared my throat. “I’m actually here because Jessa invited me.”
“You’re a friend of Jessa’s?”
I shook my head. “Not exactly. We used to, uh, mix in the same social circles when I was younger, so we knew of each other. I’ve been away…I went to a boarding school.”
“Oh, okay. Are you going to Alstone College now?”
“No.” My voice dropped to just above a whisper. “The reason I reconnected with Jessa is because I’m actually staying in her building at the moment. I’m staying in my cousin’s flat.”
“Who’s—”
“My cousin is James Granville.”
A smile spread across her face. “Oh! James.” Then her smile suddenly fell. “Wait…I saw a photo once…” She scanned my face intently, and Iknew.
It was time for me to tell her the truth about who I was. “I’m Fallon Hyde. Joseph’s sister.”
Wariness appeared in her eyes, but there was no sudden hostility, not like I was expecting. Before she could say anything, I rushed to explain. “Jessa told me a bit about the things that Joe and my dad did. I want you to know that to me, it was unforgivable, and I would never, ever condone a single thing that they did to you all.” My lip trembled, and I inhaled shakily. “I’m so sorry. I wish…I wish that the whole stupid rivalry never existed in the first place.”
“You and me both.”
