But I didn’twantto be hidden. Not from the world, not from my friends, and not from love.
Not from Alek.
Why could he not put aside his stupid grudge? Why did I have to bear all the injuries from all the Drakov and Vallen emotional wounds?
Why couldn’t life be a fairytale?
“Cook is making your favorite for lunch. And Elsie is going to try to make you some brownies—box mix, so I’m not sure she can mess those up. But I wouldn’t bet on them tasting good anyway.”
I’m not hungry,I thought.
His jaw tightened, though his eyes remained soft. “You can’t stay like this, Annie. You’ve been here for days, and you’ve barely smiled. You haven’t said a word to me. You don’t seem to care about anything. I’ve apologized so many times. I wish I could take it back. I wish you were never near those weapons. But I’m not sorry for keeping you away from him. Clearly, when he’s around, you get hurt. And seeing you get hurtkills me.”
Some of my resolve to stay angry at him cracked. I was disappointed in his decision to keep me from my normal life, from rehearsals, fromAlek.But I knew his heart was in the right place. He was worried about my recovery, and I knew he was worried that Alek would use me to hurt him. I just wished I could prove to him that what Alek and I had was genuine, that Alek truly had no idea I was the sister of his enemy.
But maybe what Alek and I had wasn’t real. Because the man I knew would have let nothing stop him from getting to me, and all I’d known for the past two weeks was silence and a sense of hope that died more with each passing day.
Jules studied me for a long moment, his expression softening. “You know I’m not trying to cage you, right?”
My throat burned when I swallowed, and still, I said nothing.
Jules sighed. “I’ll leave you alone, Evangeline. But I’m here for you, okay? This will all work out. Soon, you won’t even remember his name.”
I highly doubted that.
He slipped out of the room with a promise to come back in a second, probably to force me to eat whatever Cook had made.
After his footsteps faded in the hall, I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling again, counting the additional strings of lights he’d added. Then, I counted my breath. Then, the seconds that passed. Until, finally, I began to count all the ways it felt like everything was slipping through my fingers.
Alek’s face rose unbidden in my mind. His lips slightly swollen from our kisses, his eyes dark as he drank me in. His voice as he groaned my name, his fingers digging into my thigh, his body making me feel things no one ever had. The last image that settled in my mind was the way he looked at me—like I was something precious. Something worth keeping.
Maybe it was over between us. Maybe this was my life now—safe, contained, perfectly arranged, and quietly breaking apart.
I turned onto my side and hugged a pillow to my chest, the weight of the house settling around me until I fell into a restless sleep and dreamed of him.
January 26th
*missed call from Mia*
Mia
That’s it. I’m coming over.
I don’t know WHY you’re not answering me, but you can’t ignore me forever. We’re besties, bitch.
Jules just called me, and I’m coming over. Be there soon!! xx
A few hours later,Mia showed up like a glitter bomb with heels. Her golden blonde hair was straightened, looking as cutting as her narrowed eyes, which took in the room like she was examining a prison cell.
In a way, she kind of was.
I’d cracked my eyes open mid-nap to the sound of a voice shouting down the hall, “Evangeline Vale, if I don’t see you in the next ten seconds, I’m committing a felony.”
I swore, for a second, my heart actually stuttered.
I jumped out of bed, rushing to my bedroom door as Mia swung it open, wearing oversized sunglasses, fierce black knee-high boots, and a sequin mini skirt that hinted at her slight party-girl nature. Her hip was cocked, and she aimed a glare back at Jules, who stood sullenly behind her, lips twisted like he’d tasted something sour. In less than a minute, my best friend managed to look like she owned the place.
“Mia?” I breathed, part of me unconvinced that I hadn’t dreamed her here. It’d been over two weeks since we’d called, texted, or seen each other, which was forever in girl years.
