Olivia’s eyes narrow further, the beautiful mask now looking ominous against her hardened expression.
“Remember when we talked in your bedroom? You specifically told me you wouldn’t be upset if the engagement was called off. If Hunter... if he wanted someone else.” I reach for her arm, but she steps back. “You said it was just a business arrangement. That you didn’t even love him.”
“And that gave you permission?” She jerks her head, a sharp, disbelieving motion.
“No, of course not. But I thought... I thought maybe you’d understand?—”
“Understand?” Her voice remains low but cuts like glass. “Let me be perfectly clear. I’m not upset that Hunter wants you. I never loved him. This arrangement was Dad’s idea, not mine.”
My breath catches with a flicker of hope.
“What I’m upset about,” she continues, “is that my sister, the person I trust most in this world, has been sneaking around behind my back. Lying to my face. For weeks.” She removes her mask, revealing eyes bright with unshed tears. “You sat with me planning a wedding while sleeping with my fiancé. You let me ramble about him while knowing...”
I reach for her again. “Liv?—”
“No.” She steps back. “It’s the deceit, Aurora. The lies. The way you both made a fool of me.” Her composure slips for just a second, revealing the pain beneath her anger. “You could have told me. At any point, you could have been honest with me.”
“I was afraid?—”
“Of what? That I’d be upset you were sleeping with a man I don’t even love? No.” She shakes her head. “You were afraid I’dsee you for who you really are. Someone who takes the easy path instead of the right one.”
“When did it start?” Olivia demands, her voice rising. “How long have you been sneaking around behind my back?”
I stare at my feet, shame burning through me. “A week or so after the engagement announcement.”
“A week?” She laughs bitterly. “So, while I was showing you wedding venues?—”
“It wasn’t planned, Liv. It just... happened.”
“Things don’t just happen, Aurora. You make choices.” She steps closer, eyes flashing. “Did he seduce you? Is that what you’re claiming?”
“No. Yes, it’s complicated.” I wrap my arms around myself. “At first, I tried to resist. I told him it was wrong, that you were my sister?—”
“How noble of you,” she cuts in, voice dripping with sarcasm. “And yet somehow you ended up in his bed anyway.”
“We were drawn to each other from the first moment,” I admit, the words painful in my throat. “I fought it, Liv, I swear I did. But every time I was around him...”
“Spare me the romance novel details.” She spins away, then whirls back. “So what is this to you? A fling? An exciting forbidden affair? The thrill of taking what belongs to someone else?”
“It’s not like that,” I whisper, feeling tears threaten. “I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted any of this to happen.”
“But it did happen. And you let it continue.” Her eyes narrow. “Why?”
The question hangs between us. I could lie, minimize, or make excuses. But I owe her the truth.
“Because I fell in love with him,” I confess, my voice breaking. “I didn’t mean to, but I did. I love him, Liv.”
Something changes in Olivia’s face. The anger doesn’t disappear; instead, it transforms, crystallizing into something colder. Her breathing steadies. Her shoulders relax. The flush fades from her cheeks.
“You love him,” she repeats, her voice eerily calm. She studies me with a detached curiosity, as if seeing me clearly for the first time. “My sweet, impulsive sister... in love with Hunter Reed.”
This new composure frightens me more than her outrage did. Her eyes remain fixed on mine.
“How interesting,” she says. She adjusts her mask back into place. “Tell me, Aurora. Does he love you back?”
Olivia’s question hangs between us. Does Hunter love me? The truth would only twist the knife deeper, so I hesitate, searching for words that won’t hurt her more.
Before I can answer, movement at the edge of our alcove catches my eye. Ari stumbles toward us, his normally graceful movements uncoordinated and sluggish. His eyes are unfocused, his mask askew, and he’s gripping the wall for support.
