Lost in thought, I arrive at the front door without even realizing it. Our house sits nestled just off the river, a cozy Tudor-style cottage. Not the grandest in the neighbourhood, but full of charm, with a lush little garden and ivy creeping up the walls like something out of a fairy tale.
Anne’s parents live just a few streets over. Maddie’s, too.
But this isn’t the moment to think about her.
I pause, staring at the house that holds so much of my past, and, with any luck, the key to a different kind of future.
I take a long, steadying breath.
Soon, I’ll be free to live the life I choose. With that thought in my chest, I reach out and ring the bell.
REMI
After wrecking myself with weights at the gym, I hit the pool and don’t stop until I’ve knocked out sixty laps. I needed it, needed to burn off the adrenaline that’s been fizzing in my veins ever since last night with Sebastian.
Honestly? I’d have preferred a different kind of workout with him this morning, but fine. This will do.
Panting, I grip the edge of the pool and haul myself out, arms trembling, muscles on fire. Yeah, that’s enough punishment for one morning. Time for a reward: hot tub, long shower, and then brunch with Francis.
I’m a bit on edge about seeing him. Fran’s not just my best mate, he’s also Anne’s boyfriend. And asking him to keep something this big to himself... it doesn’t sit right. Once I tell him what’s going on with Sebastian, I know the clock starts ticking. The next step is telling the rest of them. And that scares the hell out of me.
I’d give up everything for Seb. That much I know. But if there’s even the slightest chance I can hold on to my friends too, if there’s a way to keep them and him, I want to find it.
These people, Anne, Jamie, Noah, Francis, they’ve become my family. And Francis… Francis is more than a friend. He’s the brother I never had.
After my dad died, when the world stopped making sense and everything I thought I knew about love and safety shattered, he was the one constant. The only one who didn’t look at me like I was fragile. Who didn’t try to fix me or pretend it wasn’t awful. He just stayed. Just saw me. Remi. No more, no less.
His dumb jokes, his stubborn loyalty, that ridiculous laugh of his, they kept me above water when I was drowning.
By then, my grandparents were gone. My mum was barely holding on, too wrapped in her grief to really see what washappening, to me, to Maude. We were drifting. But the Starkeys, Francis’s family, stepped in. Quietly, steadily. Helped in ways that didn’t draw attention, but meant everything.
They gave us warmth when our house felt cold. Normality when everything was upside down.
Eventually, Mum got a job as a receptionist at the local vet clinic. She started finding her rhythm again, one day at a time. Just as things were beginning to stabilize, Maude got her diagnosis.
My sister’s always been different, brilliant, sensitive, and intense. But after Dad died, she stopped speaking altogether. Total silence. That’s what finally pushed Mum to seek answers.
It turned out that Maude is neurodivergent. Exceptionally bright, just wired differently. And suddenly, everything made sense, her struggles: her way of seeing the world, how easily noise and chaos could overwhelm her.
Losing our dad nearly shattered her. But over the years, she’s learned how to live with her mind, rather than fight it. She’s grown into this quietly powerful woman, strong, precise, and thoughtful. She smashed her stats degree at Exeter and now works remotely as a data analyst for a global tech company. She likes the solitude, the clarity of numbers, and the structure.
She still lives at home, not because she can’t cope, but because the calm routine helps her stay balanced. It’s her anchor.
Mum, meanwhile, has been with Ben Freemantle, the local vet, for years now. I’m pretty sure they’d have moved in together by now if it weren’t for Maude’s need for predictability. But they’ve made it work. All three of them, in their own way, have built something steady.
Thinking about them... it steadies me too. For a moment, it pulls me back from the storm that is Sebastian Arnette. Beautiful, brilliant, utterly disarming. A walking whirlwindwho’s torn through my carefully ordered life and made me want to start again.
But I also realize it’s been far too long since I went home. Sennen Cove’s been calling to me, those wild cliffs, the salty wind, endless stretches of beach, and grilled fish straight from the sea. I miss the quiet. The raw beauty. The sense of belonging.
Sinking deeper into the steaming bubbles of the hot tub, I make up my mind: I’m going. As soon as my students finish their exams, I’ll head home for a bit. Maybe by then, things with Seb will be clearer.
And hopefully, talking to Francis today will help.
I glance at the clock. Shit, I need to move if I’m going to meet him at Scarlett Green by 12:30. The last thing I want is to face Francis on an empty stomach. He’s a menace when he’s hungry.
Chuckling at the thought of his grumpy face, I haul myself out of the water and head for the showers.
CHAPTER 19
