I moved toward my room, the comment about Darren’s insurance refusing to leave. There was something Darren had kept that my mother believed still existed.
By the time evening fell over the coast, the fog had burned off completely. The sky shifted from pale blue to streaked gold to deepening indigo. Lights blinked on the residences across the street one by one.
Monday loomed. Elise. School. Public confrontation. And somewhere beneath it all—buried deeper than fabricated documents and gala threats—Darren’s insurance waiting to surface.
I stood at my window as darkness took hold, Luke’s words from the beach echoing in my chest.
We weren’t prey, and running was no longer an option. Not from him, not from what we had. But secrets carried consequences. And I had the feeling ours were only beginning to surface.
Loving Luke King had never been safe. But it had never been optional either. I would rather lose everything than lose him again.
CHAPTER FIVE
LUKE
When Mila’s hand found mine at the academy entrance, conversation didn’t stop—it recalibrated. Blackwood had perfected silent observation. Money trained into posture. Curiosity disguised as indifference.
As we stepped through the double doors, eyes followed without being obvious about it. They saw. They understood.
We didn’t slow. Her fingers threaded through mine with deliberate pressure.
The hockey trophy case loomed to our right, glass polished to a mirror sheen. Our reflection caught there—her steady profile, my shoulders squared, hands linked in plain sight.
A public claiming. To Elise, a dare.
I felt Mila’s fingers tighten the second she clocked Elise ahead.
I followed her line of sight.
Elise saw us a beat later. Her gaze dropped to our hands. Something violent flickered across her face before she smoothed it away.
Good. I’d been waiting for this. Her games needed to end.
The hard part was holding back—letting Mila take the first swing. We’d agreed it was smarter that way. My turn would come.
Elise peeled away from the cluster near the lockers, timing it so we’d have to pass her. She waited until Mila drew even closer before speaking.
“By lunch”—her voice pitched low, surgical—“my father’s counsel files a felony complaint of corporate theft and conspiracy, naming Adriana Callahan.”
Mila didn’t flinch, but I knew it cost her to hold steady.
“You wanted to be seen together?” Elise continued. “Watch how quickly your mom disappears.”
The hallway air thinned. Mila turned her head slowly, meeting Elise’s gaze head-on. “Try it.”
Elise’s mouth curved, not amused. “Consider this your countdown.”
She leaned closer to Mila only, voice softer still. “You should’ve asked Luke what my father already uncovered before you pushed this. Check again. Make sure you’re not the one causing damage you can’t undo.”
Elise’s eyes flicked toward me only once—calculating, not inviting—then she stepped back with measured strides that carried her down the corridor without haste.
Mila’s fingers twitched once. I gently squeezed her hand with mine before drawing her half a step closer, my shoulder brushing hers, thumb pressing slow and deliberate against the inside of her wrist where her pulse beat steady beneath my skin.
My family handled pressure with strategy and spin. Mila met it head-on and refused to blink.
I leaned closer, just enough that only she could hear. “I’m here. We knew she’d counter.”
“Yeah.” A breath left her slowly. “I just hope you’re right, and our next move unravels theirs.”
