***
As I drove downtown, it hit me—if Kaia was really upset, she’d go to the one person she missed most.
Her mom.
I’d taken her to the cemetery once before, when she wanted to bring flowers and Russell—piece of shit that he is—refused to go. Turning onto the road to Stetbourg Memorial Park, I caught the metallic gray sky and the sharp scent of impending rain.
Peque, peque. Why the hell didn’t you call me?
I parked, jumped off the bike, and jogged into the cemetery, praying I’d remember the way.
Barely a minute later, I spotted her—so fucking small, sitting beside her mother’s grave. Relief slammed into me. “Kaia!”
She lifted her eyes to mine. I sprinted over, dropped to the grass, and pulled her into my arms. She buried her wet face in the crook of my neck, sobbing.
“Shh.” I rubbed her back. “I’m here. Everything’s okay. You scared the shit out of me, peque. What happened?”
“He’s sending me away,” Kaia choked, swiping her sleeve across her face.
I cupped her cheeks, the relief of finding her crashing into something uglier. “What are you talking about? Sending you where?”
“My father’s sending me to a boarding school six hours from here.”
No. Impossible. I shook my head. “The fuck he is. This has to be a joke.”
Kaia sniffled. “I wish it was.”
“He can’t.” My chest squeezed. “He fucking can’t. You’re not a puppet. He can’t do this to you if you don’t want it.”
“He pays for everything. He can do whatever he wants while I live in his house.” Her bottom lip wobbled, fresh tears sliding free. “I keep flunking these tests. Maybe I do need to go.”
“Please, don’t cry.” I pressed my mouth to her damp skin, kissing the tears away. “Let me talk to him. We’ll figure something out. He can hire a tutor here. I can convince him.”
“He can’t know about us.” Kaia’s cold fingers closed around mine. “If he finds out, you won’t be able to visit. Even if you wanted to. Six hours is no joke without him complicating things. You’ll be busy, I’ll be far, and—”
“I love you,” I cut her off before she could spiral. “And I don’t care how far you are or how complicated it gets. There’s no one else for me. Nunca, peque. Never. If you want a promise, you’ve got one.” I lifted her hands and kissed each knuckle, lingering on her skin.
She smiled through her tears and looped her arms around my neck, pulling me close. “I love you too, Ash.”
I’d known she did. Felt it even before she said the words. But my chest still clenched like it might split open.
She was leaving. Leaving me.
Back when I fought my feelings, I’d assumed I’d be the one to go someday, breaking Kaia’s heart when a better team called. Russell made sure both our hearts broke instead.
“I don’t want to go home.” Kaia trembled in my arms. “I don’t want to see him ever again. I hate him.”
I kissed her hair, stroking her back. She didn’t truly hate him. He was her father, and some part of her still craved his love. I had no problem loathing the bastard for both of us.
“You’re freezing, peque,” I murmured, my voice rough with anger I barely kept in check. “It’ll be worse if I don’t take you home soon.”
“Worse than being sent to a shithole town six hours away because my father doesn’t want me around while he’s screwing his girlfriend? Because you can’t actually believe he cares about my academic future. If he did”—her voice broke—“he would’ve hired a tutor when I was fourteen and drowning. He would’ve helped instead of punishing me.”
I pulled her tighter, sliding my fingers into her hair, massaging her scalp gently. “I know, mi niña.”
My chest ached, my throat burned with words I couldn’t say. I feigned calm for her sake, but the thought of a future with her so far away scared the shit out of me.
“I hate that I’m crying because of him.” Kaia rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “He probably isn’t even wondering where I am. He’s never cared—why start now?”
