They can all fuck themselves.
Why the hell am I the only one being treated like this?
My eyes flick to my right, seeing Gen and Elijah standing side by side, carved from guilt under the grand double staircase.
Is it guilt? Maybe they don’t even care.
“I hate you.” The words rip out, jagged and loud. “I hate you both. Don’t ever talk to me again. Don’t even look at me.” I storm over to them, my anger moving my feet before I can even process the sight of them.
Gen flinches, but Elijah doesn’t falter. His fingers just tap on his thigh.
“Ace—” Gen starts, shaky but soft, reaching for me. “Please, I thought… You told me you two were just friends. I thought—”
“Oh, shut up.” My laugh comes out sharp, cruel. “That doesn’t even matter anymore. You broke my trust the second you opened your mouth to those guys at the bar.”
Her face pales. “I didn’t—”
“You did.” I cut her off, stepping closer, fury trembling in my chest. “You told them you were with me. With the mafia princess. Ring any bells, Gen? Because it sure as hell rings for me.”
Her lips part like she wants to explain, but nothing comes out.
I throw my hands up. “So what was it, huh? Protection? Leverage? Or just a fun little way to make me your little charity project?”
Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back furiously. I won’t give her the satisfaction. “You think being my friend means using me? Selling me off in whispers? That’s what friendship is to you?”
Gen shakes her head fast. “No, no, I swear, it wasn’t like that. I only said it because—”
“Because you wanted to survive,” I snap. “Because keeping me close means your family stays safe. Don’t even bother denying it.”
Her lips press tight, and the silence answers for her.
Something inside me caves but it’s hollow. “God. And I thought maybe—maybe—having a friend would actually feel different. But it’s just another transaction, isn’t it? Another deal. Another lie.”
I turn from her, chest heaving, every nerve screaming. My voice breaks as I whisper, “I can’t trust anyone. Not one person.”
The silence is broken by Enzo. His shadow stretches across the marble as he steps forward, calm but edged with steel. “If you don’t want her here,” he says evenly, “then I’ll take care of it.”
My fury spikes hotter, my fear sharper. My mouth moves before my brain can catch it.
“I don’t care,” I spit. “Do it. Kill her. I don’t care about her. I don’t care about any of this.”
The second it’s out, my stomach flips. That didn’t even sound like me. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe the me I used to be doesn’t exist anymore.
Enzo studies me, eyes too cold, too patient.
And suddenly, I can’t hold it in anymore. “Did you shoot him?”
His head tilts. “What?”
“The guy I was with.” My voice cracks, raw and loud. “Did you shoot him?”
The room goes cold. Elijah shifts just slightly, his hand flexing, jaw clenching, but he says nothing. Gen’s eyes go wide, darting between us, just now realizing I know more than I should.
Enzo doesn’t even blink. “No.”
But after tonight, after every lie and betrayal bleeding together, I don’t know if I believe him.
I bark a laugh, ugly and shaking. “Right. Because honesty is such a family tradition.”
