“I’m going to figure this out for you,” he whispered again, like a vow.
“Why would you do that for me? After everything I just told you—after what I am?”
“Because you’re not what he made you. You’re mine, Luna girl. I swear to you right now—” His voice cracked, but he pushed through it, fiercer than ever. “I’ll burn that fucking house to the ground before I let it touch you again.”
55
jeremy
Five Days Later
Everything was in boxes, ready to be sent to storage, and the lawyer was due any second. I had no idea what the fuck I was going to say, because the entire deal with the ag company would fall apart without her there.
For once in my life, I was walking around directionless. I shoved a hand through my hair, my chest tightening as I stepped off the porch into the backyard. The cornfield swayed in the summer wind. Back then, Luna would vanish between the stalks, barefoot and wild, and I’d chase after her until my lungs burned.
“Jer.”
I turned to see Dirks coming down the porch steps, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, shoulders tense.
“She couldn’t come.”
I shook my head, jaw tightening. “Right.”
“Has the lawyer come?”
“He comes in a bit,” I muttered, kicking at the dirt near the steps.
Without asking, Dirks reached out and grabbed my shoulder, his grip steady, grounding. He steered me back toward the porch like I was some stubborn kid.
“Sit,” he said, guiding me down onto the top step.
I let out a dry laugh, glancing up at him. “Wow. Giving directions now? Careful, man—usually you’re the one on your knees taking them from Luna.”
“Yeah, well... desperate times. Somebody’s gotta keep your ass in line.”
The air shifted, his silence pressing harder than the joke.
“She couldn’t come,” Dirks said again softly, almost apologetic.
I let out a bitter laugh that didn’t sound like me. “Right. Of course. Always some fucking excuse.” My jaw clenched, teeth grinding. “She’s probably halfway across the world, pretending none of this matters.”
“No, Jer. She’s here. Just a few towns over. She wants to be near you. She just... she can’t come here.”
My heart stalled. “Can’t? What the fuck does that mean—can’t?”
“With her permission, I’m telling you this because you need to understand. Think about it. Why was she the only one with the private room?”
I froze. My pulse faltered, then pounded. “What—what does that matter?”
“You grew up in that house, Jer. You know none of the other kids had it. Not a single one of you. But Luna did. And then... after she left,youhad it.”
I staggered to my feet, pacing, gripping the back of my neck like I could hold my skull together. “Wait— wait. You’re saying—” My throat went dry. I forced the words out. “You’resaying the only reason she had that room was because— because Arthur?—”
I couldn’t finish it. The thought sliced through me like glass.
Dirks’s silence said everything.
“Oh my god. That’s why she never— fuck, that’s why she panicked. That’s why she couldn’t set foot on this porch without shaking. That’s why she shuts down when I bring this place up.”
