What isn’t he telling me?
I tug the zip shut, cinching the top of the bag. My fingers linger on the handle for a beat too long. I turn toward the door. Take a breath. Grip the knob.
And pause.
There are voices coming from down the hall. Tense ones.
I wouldn’t have paid attention, would’ve just assumed it to be staff or someone on the phone, but then I hear my name.
And the moment I do, I stop dead in my tracks.
The smart thing would be to leave. Just open the door, step out, and disappear down the driveway with Merrick, without looking back.
But I don’t.
I stay.
The floorboards are colder than I remember as I step into the hall. The voices lead me past the library, past the dark-panelled walls, and into what I assume is the study.
I stop just outside of it, barely breathing.
The door’s slightly ajar, but I don’t dare look through it.
“…didn’t have to tell her,” Kai says.
His voice is tight. Contained. But not calm.
“You know I did,” Christian replies. “She deserves to know.”
Silence.
Or maybe not silence. Maybe they’re just too quiet for me to hear now.
And then a crash comes that makes me jolt.
Wood on wood, maybe. A chair shoved. A fist against something.
“What are you doing, Kai?” Christian asks, and it’s quieter now. Not angry. Just… tired. “What are your real intentions with keeping her by your side?”
A breath, and Kai answers cooly. “What makes you think I have other intentions?” A pause. “Perhaps I just like her.”
More silence.
Christian’s voice again, flat this time. “We both know that’s not true.”
I press my back against the wall, fingers curling against the wood. My pulse trips over itself.
And then, something inside my chest burns. A slow flare behind my ribs.
My heart, I realize.
Christian speaks again, and this time, I don’t think he means for it to sound like an accusation, but it does.
“You think her stalker is the same person who messed with John’s car? Is that why you’re doing all of this?”
My breath catches, and I feel it seize in my chest like I’ve been punched.
What? My father’s car?
