“I’m choosing Rafe,” I say. “Now and always.”
My mother’s face hardens completely. “Then we have nothing more to discuss. You can see yourselves out.” She turns sharply toward the bedroom door. My father follows, stiff and furious, dignity clenched like armor. The door closes behind my parents with a soft click that feels louder than any slam.
Lindy hesitates only a second before turning back to me.
“If they threaten you,” I say quickly, “with school or money, I’ll help. With everything.”
She smiles, fierce and grateful. “I know.” She looks at Rafe, then back at me. “You did well.” Then she leaves for her room, letting us know she’s grabbing her bag and will then head down with us.
The suite is suddenly enormous. The city beyond the windows looks exactly the same as it did before, indifferent to the damage done inside. I stand here, hands numb, heart pounding too slow now, like it’s exhausted.
I finally let myself exhale and allow the cost of choosing Rafe to settle into my bones. A second later, Lindy reappears.
“Let’s go,” I say hoarsely.
Rafe nods immediately. He doesn’t argue. He doesn’t hesitate. He just moves with me, matching my pace as we step back into the hallway.
My breathing is off. Too shallow. Too fast. My hands feel shaky at my sides, and I have to consciously unclench my jaw before my teeth start to hurt.
Rafe stays close, a solid presence at my shoulder, but I don’t dare reach for him. Not here. Not now. Every instinct screams at me to keep my distance, to stay composed, to not give the hotel anything to see.
The doors slide shut once we’re in the elevator, sealing us into the small space, and I brace my hands against the metal rail without realizing I’ve done it until my knuckles ache.
Rafe glances at me. “I ordered a car,” he says softly. “It’ll be waiting.”
“Okay,” I manage.
Lindy shifts beside me. “I’ll grab a cab. I just want to be on the next flight out of here and get back to college.”
The elevator hums as it descends, the motion making my stomach lurch unpleasantly. I focus on breathing. In through my nose. Out through my mouth. Slow it down. Control it.
“I meant what I said,” I tell Lindy suddenly, the words urgent. “About school. About everything.”
She smiles gently. “I know you did.” She pauses, then adds, “And Ollie? You don’t owe them anything. Not your happiness. Not your future.”
I nod, even though I’m not sure I believe it yet.
The elevator doors open into the hotel foyer. Light. Space. People moving through it like nothing world-ending just happened.
We step out together, walking in silence across the marble floor. I can feel eyes slide over us—curious, dismissive, indifferent. I square my shoulders and keep my expression neutral, the way I’ve been trained to do.
At the entrance, Lindy stops. “I’ll text you when I land,” she says. She pulls me into another hug, longer this time. “Happy birthday,” she murmurs. “I’m really glad you exist.”
I have to clear my throat before I say, “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She steps back, gives Rafe a quick hug as well, and then she’s gone, swallowed by the crowd outside.
Rafe and I stand here for a beat. Then the car pulls up, and we get in without speaking. The door shuts, and the city slides past the windows in a blur of glass and traffic and noise. My body finally sags back against the seat, exhaustion crashing into me all at once.
Shame creeps in where adrenaline recedes.
I stare at my hands in my lap, flexing my fingers like I’m trying to wake them up.What does he see in me?The thought hits hard and unwelcome.
Rafe could be with anyone. A woman, or a man who’s out. Someone who doesn’t flinch in elevators or hotel foyers. Who doesn’t ask him to keep secrets or live half in shadow. Someone who could stand beside him openly, proudly, without calculation.
Instead, he has me.
Someone who just dragged him into a war with my family. Someone who keeps asking him to wait. To hide. To edit himself down.
