I swallow. “He said I signed my life away.”
Ethan’s eyes flick to Wyatt. “Paper matters,” he says quietly. “You were right.”
Wyatt doesn’t respond. He’s watching me, the way he watched me last night in the dark when I challenged him and he said he wasn’t going to ruin me like it was a promise and a threat.
Maddie sets my phone down on the coffee table and points at me. “New rule. You document everything. Texts. Emails. Voicemails. Dates. Times. Screenshots. You save it in two places. And you stop deleting things because you don’t want to look at them.”
I shift. “I don’t delete?—”
Maddie’s eyes narrow. “Ellie.”
I exhale, annoyed because she’s right. I deleted things. Not because I wanted to protect him, but because seeing his words made my stomach turn. Because I wanted to pretend I could wipe him away.
Maddie continues, firm. “Second rule. You stop calling it ‘drama.’ You stop calling it ‘mess.’ It’s harassment.”
Wyatt’s gaze stays locked on my face. “He threatened you.”
I swallow. “He’s not… overt. He’s?—”
“Smart,” Ethan cuts in. “He’s careful.”
Maddie leans forward, elbows on her knees. “Careful men are the worst. They make you look crazy while they ruin your life in spreadsheets.”
Heat flashes behind my eyes—anger, humiliation. “I’m not crazy.”
“I know,” Maddie says immediately. “But he wants everyone else to think you are.”
Wyatt moves behind the couch. I feel him there before I see him, like my body senses him the way it senses heat. His hand lands on the back cushion behind my shoulder, not touching me, but close enough that I feel claimed.
Maddie watches it and smirks. “Cute.”
Wyatt’s voice goes flat. “Focus.”
“I am focused,” Maddie says, unbothered. Then she looks at Ethan. “Tell him.”
Ethan nods. “There are spots around this cabin where someone could watch without leaving easy prints. Rock outcroppings. Wind cover.”
My stomach twists. “So… he could’ve been here more than once.”
Wyatt’s voice drops. “Yes.”
The way he says it makes my skin go cold.
Maddie stands, brisk. “Okay. You and I are going to go through your phone together. We’re going to make a file. We’re going to write a timeline. And you’re going to tell me the things you keep editing down.”
I glare. “I don’t edit down.”
Maddie smiles sweetly. “You’re adorable.”
Wyatt’s hand slides from the couch to my shoulder. Just a brief squeeze, grounding. Possessive. My pulse jumps.
I look up at him. “Don’t start treating me like a?—”
Wyatt leans down, close enough that his breath brushes my ear. “Like mine?”
My entire body stills.
Maddie makes a noise like she’s trying not to laugh. Ethan clears his throat and looks at the window like he suddenly finds snow fascinating.
