"She'll be here," Sophie said quietly, setting up their usual orders without being asked. "And Mac? Whatever she tells you today, be kind. She's been carrying this alone for a long time."
"I will be."
"Good." Sophie's expression was fierce.
Rachel walked in at exactly 4 PM. She looked beautiful but exhausted, like she hadn't slept well. Dark circles under her eyes that makeup couldn't quite hide. Her hands clutched her purse strap like a lifeline.
"Hi," she said, sliding into their usual booth.
"Hi." Mac wanted to reach for her hand but something in her body language told him to wait. "How are you?"
"Nervous. Ready to throw up, possibly." She tried for a smile but it didn't reach her eyes. "But I'm here. And I need to tell you something."
"Okay..."
Sophie brought their drinks, set them down quietly, and disappeared without her usual banter.
Rachel wrapped her hands around her mug but didn't drink. Just stared at the coffee like it held answers.
"I lied to you," she said finally. "When you asked about Matthews, I said I didn't want to talk about it. I wasn’t completely honest… I do know him. Very well actually. And he—" Her voice cracked. "He's the reason Brad left me. Well, some of the reasons."
Cold washed over him. "What do you mean?"
"Brad didn't decide on his own that I was too boring. Derek convinced him. Over months. Systematically undermined our relationship, planted doubts, told Brad I'd hold him back from NHL success." Rachel's hands were shaking. "I didn't know. Not until after. After the engagement party, after everything fell apart, Brad's teammate got drunk and told me the truth. That Derek had been in Brad's ear for months, pushing him to break up with me."
"Why?" Mac's voice came out harsh. "Why would Derek do that?"
Rachel looked down at her coffee, tears spilling onto her cheeks. “Because I said no.”
Mac went very still. “What?”
“Derek. At a team event. Six months before the engagement party.” She swallowed. “He cornered me in a hallway. His hand on my waist. Then higher. Saying things…” Her breath hitched. “I said no. I tried to walk away. But he—he grabbed my arm. Pushed me against the wall, and—”
She stopped. Her mouth opened, then closed again.
“I got away,” she said quickly, too quickly. “I pushed him hard enough that he stumbled, and I ran.” She stared into the coffee like it might swallow the memory. “That’s all I told myself it was. What I could survive.”
Mac didn’t interrupt.
“I didn’t tell Brad,” she went on, voice shaking. “I was scaredhe wouldn’t believe me. Derek was his friend. His mentor. Who was I compared to that?” Her voice broke completely. “So I said nothing.”
A beat.
“And Derek…” Her fingers curled tight around the mug. “He made sure I paid for it. Convinced Brad I was wrong for him. Orchestrated that public humiliation. Made sure I lost everything.” Her eyes flicked up to Mac’s, then away again. “All because I fought him off.”
Something cold and murderous settled in Mac’s gut. “Rachel, that’s not—Jesus. That’s assault. That’s—”
“I know what it was,” she cut in, sharp, then continued quieter. “I know.” A pause. Heavy. “And I still didn’t tell anyone. I still kept parts of it to myself.”
Her shoulders sagged. “And he made sure everyone thought I was the problem.”
"You didn't do anything wrong. Rachel, listen to me, none of that is your fault. Not the assault, not staying quiet, not what happened after."
"I should have told Brad. Told someone."
"You didnothingwrong." Mac reached across the table, taking her hands in his. They were ice cold and shaking. "Matthews is a manipulative predator who punished you for having boundaries. That's on him. Not on you."
"But Mac, he's coming here. To Evergreen Cove. And if he sees us together, if he realizes I'm happy again." Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "What if he tries to do the same thing to you? What if he poisons your team against me, convinces you I'm not worth it, destroys this like he destroyed everything else?"
