Right?
8
VIOLET
I bitemy lip as I stare at the back of Sebastian’s house from my spot in the woods.
Drew senses me. I know it with bone-deep certainty.
Even though his light is out and I can’t see him any longer, I remain in this spot, breathing in the cool night air.
August is one of my favorite months in Vermont.
Warm days giving way to cooler nights.
Perfect weather for watching the man I'm destined to marry.
Every detail since I followed him home replays through my head like a movie.
After Drew entered his house—technicallyhis brother’s house—I rode my motorcycle down the road to a small, barely noticeable access road that led to a small parking lot. It’s a familiar location that I’ve been using for weeks. It’s remote, private, and surrounded by woods. At night, there’s nothing but complete darkness out here.
I cut the engine and took off my helmet. Shaking my hair out, I wound it back into a bun, then put the helmet on top. I can’t have any stray hairs falling into my eyes and impeding my vision. Not when I’m about to see him.
I got off the bike, putting my keys inside the pocket of my hoodie. I used the flashlight on my cell phone to locate the narrow path in the woods, then began walking to the familiar destination.
The cool air seeped through my hoodie as I moved, but I barely felt it.
Not now.
Not when I’m so close to getting everything I want.
I glanced up at the sky. Stars twinkled brightly, guiding my way to the man who’s secretly owned my heart since the day he caught me before I fell.
Even though he disappeared before I could get his name, I’d never forgotten him.
But when I saw him in the hospital again, I knew it was fate. All those years we spent apart were a test of my loyalty. I passed, and now I was being rewarded.
He was the one I was destined to be with.
The love I’d always wanted but never had.
Maybe it’s because I had to grow up too fast.
Born to wealthy parents who cared more about careers than children, Callie and I were raised by nannies.
Most were only there for the paycheck.
I learned early that if I wanted to understand people, I had to watch them.
Patterns rarely lie.
The trail was faint, more suggestion than path, but it’s like muscle memory at this point. I looked at my watch, mapping the time.
Branches brushed against my arms as I moved, stepping carefully so I didn’t snap twigs or make any unnecessary noise.
By the time Sebastian’s house came into view through the trees, my breathing was steady and controlled.
Lights glowed from inside, warm and inviting.
