Did I really spill everything in front of my parents, my siblings,andthe Palmers?
Yes.Yes, I had.
And then Andrew showed up, declaring his love in front of everyone as if it were some kind of grand romantic gesture, instead of the manipulative stunt it was.
What did he think would happen?That he could pull out a seven-year-old son like a party trick, finally divorce Victoria, and I’d just… roll with it?Be the stepmom in the happily-ever-after fantasy he’d been selling me?
No.
Andrew liked his two separate worlds, and yesterday made me realize he never planned on giving one of them up.
Kicking the blankets off, I swung my legs over the side of the bed.The hardwood was cold against my bare feet, and a shiver ran through me.I dug into the drawer my mom still kept stocked with my old things and pulled out a pair of mismatched fuzzy socks.
The house was quiet as I padded down the hall, my stomach reminding me it had been far too long since I’d eaten anything real.I needed coffee first.Then food.And maybe a run or a hike… something to burn off the storm still swirling in my chest.
Chase was already in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a mug of coffee, scrolling through something on his phone.He glanced up when I walked in, and the way his eyes softened made my throat tighten.
“Morning,” he said.
“Morning.”My voice came out hoarse.I went straight for the coffee maker, grateful for the normalcy of the ritual.
He studied me for a moment, then said, “You look like shit.”
I snorted.“Thanks, big brother.”
“I mean it,” he said quietly.“How are you holding up?”
I shrugged, avoiding his eyes.“I’ve been better.”
He set his mug down and came to stand across from me at the island.“I couldn’t sleep last night.Kept thinking about… all of it.About what you’ve been dealing with on your own.I’m trying to wrap my head around how someone could...”He cut himself off, jaw tightening.
“It’s over,” I said, trying to sound final, even if part of me still felt tangled in Andrew’s lies.
“Is it?”Chase asked, voice low.“Because a guy like that… I don’t think he’s just going to walk away.”
“I’ll make him,” I said, but even to my own ears it sounded more like hope than certainty.
Chase’s gaze sharpened.“Last night you got sick.And you mentioned the birth control thing.Did you…?”
I shook my head quickly.“No.I didn’t stop.I wasn’t ready to.Not until I knew we were… real.That he was really mine.”
He exhaled slowly, relief mixing with frustration.“Ok, well, as a doctor, I feel like I need to remind you that even your birth control isn't one hundred percent effective and there are ways to reduce its efficacy....But as your brother....Cass, you don’t have to justify any of this to me.But for the record?He was never worth betting your future on.”
“I know,” I whispered.
There was a beat of silence, then he said, “I was going to go for a hike.You want to come?Might help clear your head.”
I hesitated, not sure if I could handle my big brother today.“Let me eat first.I’m starving.”
We ate in easy quiet, the kind you only get with people who’ve known you your whole life.He didn’t push more questions, but I could feel him watching me, still turning things over in his mind.
Half an hour later, we pulled into the trailhead parking lot, and I froze halfway out of the car.
Brody’s truck was there.
And so was Brody.
“You didn’t say he’d be here,” I hissed.
