Ody shook his head. “That’s what she told everyone. But she’s not.”
Mano frowned.
“I heard them talking at school,” Ody continued. “They were calling each other brother and sister. And Kash confirmed it later.”
Mano stared at him. “I…I don’t get it,” he said slowly. His gaze dropped to the sand as he tried to make sense of it. “Kash knew about our meeting because of her messages…” He went still. Then his head snapped up. “Wait. Stella told us her ex hit her too.” He fell silent, staring ahead as the thought settled in. “She told me her ex wouldn’t leave her alone. She asked me to keep him away from her. Her ex was Kash. He even told me not to go near her again—” He stopped mid-sentence.
The memory hit him all at once. That night at school, Kash hadn’t acted like a jealous ex trying to win Stella back. He hadn’t even told Mano to stop seeing her. He had only warned him to treat her better.
Mano’s stomach dropped. He stared at the sand for a second, his jaw tightening. Then he jumped to his feet. “That fucking bitch!” he shouted.
The others glanced over from across the beach.
Ody stood. “Mano, calm down—”
“She fucking lied to me!”
Steve pushed himself up from the lounger, looking over like he expected another fight.
“Shhh,” Ody said quickly, grabbing Mano’s shoulders and pushing him back down. “Don’t yell. I’ll explain.” He glanced toward the group. When he saw Steve sit back down, he exhaled in relief. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a slow breath. “Stella wants revenge on you, Mano.”
“What?”
“Kash and Stella are close,” Ody explained. “He told me everything. When you were seeing her… you slept with her best friend, right?”
“I never dated her.”
“That’s not how she sees it,” Ody said. “She thinks you ruined her friendship.”
Mano’s expression darkened.
“Kash beating you up… that was mostly because of her,” Ody said. “The others jumped in because you stepped in to protect me. They don’t know she’s his sister.”
Mano stared at him, fury flashing in his eyes. “So she got her big brother to beat the hell out of me?” he snapped. “Slash my tires? All of it?”
“She asked him to, yes,” Ody said. “Kash was angry about how you treated her. But he doesn’t want to hurt you anymore.”
Mano’s jaw tightened.
“Stella fought with him about it. She’s obsessed with you,” Ody added. “But Kash promised he won’t help her again. The worst she can do now is post pictures.”
Mano let out a dark laugh, running a hand over his mouth. Ody didn’t like the sound of it. “Do you remember those voice messages she sent?” he asked.
Ody nodded.
“She was crying,” Mano said, his voice low with rage. “Saying her ex hit her.” His eyes burned as he drew in a slow breath. “I swear I’ll fucking kill her.”
“Mano, no. It’s over. She can’t touch you now.”
“And what about everything she already did?” Mano snapped. “She set me up. Sent her brother and his friends to beat the hell out of me!”
“I know,” Ody said quickly, lowering his voice. “And I hate what she did too. But it’s done. Kash swore he won’t bother you again.”
“Oh sure,” Mano sneered. “He gave his sacred vow to his boyfriend.”
Ody stiffened. “I’m not his boyfriend.”
“Right,” Mano said mockingly. “Just a one-night thing.”
