Page 87

Now, I saw things differently. Because now I knew that not every light in the darkness was meant to save you. The beacon you might see—the very one I’d become for the rotten men of this city—could call you in, closer and closer, until you crashed yourself against what was waiting on the other side.

Sometimes, the light you assumed to be your rescue was actually just the lure.

I turned away and paced the length of the building, rehearsing the conversation in my mind. No matter how much I craved it, the numbness never came.

A flat outcropping of rocks sat a few yards away from the lighthouse. I was close enough to be able to see the path winding down from Magnolia Bluff, but far enough away from evening joggers.

The last thing I need is an audience, I thought.

Crouching down, I leaned my back against the lighthouse wall, eyes tightly pressed shut. The waves crashed against the rocks below, their rhythm as chaotic as my mind.

The lighthouse beam swept past.

Red.

White.

Red.

Dad used to time it with his watch, teaching me the rhythm. Every lighthouse has its own heartbeat, he'd said. This one's steady and reliable. Just like us, Evie.

I swallowed hard against the creeping tightness in my throat. I wish you were here, Dad, I thought. You always knew what to say.

Gripping the wall, I pushed myself upright and dusted the sand from my flowing black dress.

I look like I’m going to a funeral, I thought. I guess I kind of am.

This time, I hadn't even chosen my outfit. The glamour had decided for me, the magic's cruel irony as it played off the grief weighing on my chest.

For a moment, I thought about slipping back into the Sound and disappearing beneath the surface. Leave Ethan standing here alone, wondering why I never showed.

I balled my fists, shaking my head.

I have to do this. He's dying because of me.

Thirty minutes later, I spotted him, slowly fumbling his way down the trail. Even in the fading light, I could see the exhaustion carved into his features.

Ethan’s face lit up when he finally saw me. His pace quickened as he jogged toward me, that unbridled hope clinging to his smile, completely unaware that he was walking towards heartache.

Better to drown him in grief than lose him to a love that would kill him, I told myself, even though it did nothing to stifle the pain.

“Hey, Evie!” Ethan called out, stumbling over the slick rocks as he made his way toward me.

I forced a smile, holding it tight like armor.

“Hey,” I said softly.

Ethan stood in front of me, the exhaustion etched onto his face even worse up close: dark circles and a hollowness that hadn’t been there weeks ago. The curse was eating him alive.

His expression shifted from hopeful to uncertain as he studied my face.

“I was worried maybe you wouldn’t show,” he admitted with a quiet laugh. “After the other night…Sorry about that aga⁠—”

“Ethan.” My voice came out flat. “I…I need to tell you something.”

He started to reach for my hand, but stopped. His eyes dimmed, and that awkward smile I loved faded as he saw the tightness in my jaw.

“Yeah? Okay.” He shifted his weight anxiously. “Listen, if it’s about the party, you don’t have to go. After what happened on the Ferris wheel⁠—”