I whipped my head around, expecting to see an angry Astrid, only to come face-to-face with the one fucking bitch that I never wanted to see in my life again—my ex and Astrid’s ex–best friend.Mira.
CHAPTERFIFTY-THREE
ASTRID
A soft orangesky decorated the horizon, glowing against the ocean.Waves crashed against the sand, the salty particles dancing in the air.I gazed at the seaweed ebbing and flowing in the water.
My chest was tight.Diya had left a few moments ago, her tears spilling down her cheeks.She had asked to be alone, which really meant that she was going back to her stepfather so he’d comfort her.But he knew, and I hadn’t found a good time to tell her.
I exhaled and ran a hand through my hair.“How long will it take for the rumors to die?”
Sakura frowned and followed my gaze.“I don’t know.I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“We should’ve been quieter when we talked at the café.People are always listening.”
“Some people have nothing better to do than start drama,” I hummed.
If I had learned anything at Redwood Academy, it was that people’s lives were just so shitty that the best thing they had going for them was hurting other people.Nice people, people who had good lives,richlives—and not in terms of actual money—didn’t hurt people like this.
After stuffing her hands into her pockets, she turned toward the dunes.“I should go.”
I walked with her toward the parking lot.“You think she’ll be okay?”
We stepped off the sand and onto the cracked concrete.
“I don’t know.”
My lips curled into a frown.“She’s scared, and I don’t blame her.”
Sakura gently squeezed my elbow.“You’re a good friend for taking the heat.”
“Thanks,” I whispered.“I appreciate it.”
Once she slipped into her car, I walked to mine and grabbed the door handle.I didn’t know why, but I scanned the lot, and my gaze landed across the street on a pair of cars parked right next to each other.
I furrowed my brow.What the hell?Is that …
Calix.
My fingers danced against the door handle, and then I dropped it.What’s he doing here?Did he follow us down to the beach?If I were him, that’s what I would do, especially if someone had been ignoring me the way I had been with him.
When Sakura sped out of the lot, I crossed the street to confront him.I didn’t know what I was going to say, but I had to finally talk to him because I didn’t want him stalking me and finding out what really was going on.Not until Diya was ready.
Yet the closer I got, the … the more something felt off.
Who is he with?
Once I reached the driver’s window, I froze in my tracks.Inside the car, Calix was sitting in the driver’s seat, completely oblivious to me standing right beside the car, staring at … his ex-girlfriend and my ex–best friend, Mira.
Her gaze lifted from him to me, her smirk widening.
For a moment, I just stared at the scene in front of me, not knowing how to feel.But then something clicked inside me, and I threw the driver’s door open, swallowing the bile in my throat.My chest tightened.
What the hell is he doing here?And with her, of all people?
Calix flinched, his head snapping toward me.“Astrid, I?—”
