“Because I…”
She cuts me off with a sharp, manic laugh. “No. You don’t get to say it. Not now. Keep your mouth shut.”
“But I do,” I growl. “I care. Okay? I care.”
“You care because you don’t want anyone else to have me. You care because without me, you don’t get to play your little games. Well, guess what? I’m done playing. Whatever this was, it’s over. And good thing, because I’m not sticking around for this shit.”
She’s ranting. She’s furious and hurt, but she’s serious about leaving. Her bag is packed, her mind made up. She storms past me, straight for the door.
“Goodbye, Nik. For real this time.”
The door slams.
Rage detonates in my chest. I smash everything within reach, glass, furniture, whatever my fists can find. My knuckles split, blood mixing with vodka as I down another drink.
By the time Dominic knocks and I let him in, the room looks like a war zone. I’m barefoot, bloodied, liquor in hand, the wreckage of my temper scattered around me.
He takes one look and mutters, “Oh, fuck.”
31
LEANNA
Thank God for small miracles.I slipped out of the hotel in stealth mode, no father, no brothers, no watchful goons breathing down my neck.
By the time I make it outside and into a cab, the adrenaline drains, leaving me hollow. Empty but resolved. My chest aches like I’ve just walked out of a battlefield.
My phone buzzes, and I see Maria’s name lighting up the screen. I swipe to answer, and her face fills the frame, her eyes immediately scanning me like she can see right through the storm I’ve been holding in.
“Leanna…hey. You look…absent. Everything okay?” she asks, her voice thick with concern.
I force a small smile, trying to make it sound casual. “Yeah…everything’s fine. Really.”
She frowns, not convinced. “You don’t sound fine. Talk to me.”
I almost brush it off, but the lie catches in my throat. And in this moment, Maria feels like the only safe place I have left.
“My plan…was to make it through the Commission like a good little soldier, then enjoy one last week with my college friends. And then…Saturday, I walk across that stage and collect my diploma. Because, dammit, I earned it.”
Maria’s face lights up, and relief washes over her features. “Lea…that’s exactly why I called. I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
My heart skips. “You’re…coming?”
“Of course.” She shakes her head, smiling like I’m ridiculous for doubting. “I already feel proud of you, and I haven’t even seen you in your cap and gown yet.”
I feel the warmth creep into my chest, a fragile anchor in the mess of my mind. “Thanks, Maria. Hearing you saying that…it actually helps.”
She leans closer to the screen. “I wouldn’t tell you if I didn’t mean it. You’ve worked too hard for this. So promise me you’ll hold onto that focus for the next few days. One week, Lea. You can do this.”
I nod, a little shaky, but grateful. “I promise.”
She grins, giving me a thumbs-up through the screen. “Good. And hey…look alive on that stage, okay? We’ll take a lot of pictures, and I want to celebrate my badass friend.”
I managed a real laugh this time. “You got it.”
She winks and says, “Love you.” Then her face disappears as the call ends.
I stare at the blank screen, the weight of everything pressing in on me. If only I could tell her the truth, that I’m planning to grabmy backpack, slip into my new identity, and vanish on the first flight out.
