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“This? No. Stella and Emmie chose it about ten minutes after putting the ones Mum left for me in the bin. If the doors were unlocked, then I wouldn’t have put it past them taking them out on the patio and burning them.”

“The doors are locked?” he asks, his brow knitting together.

“Yeah. I’m not sure if it’s to keep me in or the Italians out, to be honest.”

“To keep them out,” he assures me.

“I’ve come back and been basically locked in a cage. I may as well have just stayed there because this is…” I throw my hands out to the sides, regretting it instantly when my towel loosens.

I just manage to catch it before I flash him.

“Go get dressed, baby C.”

With a huff, I do as he suggests, because yeah, I’m standing here naked with just a towel covering me.

I make quick work of pulling the dress on, and I can’t help but smile to myself as I stand in front of my full-length mirror, because it fits perfectly.

I’m not usually a fan of going braless and showing quite so much boob, but fuck it. I’m also not really feeling like myself right now, so Mum is going to have to like it or lump it.

I pause as I move toward the door, wondering if actually I am feeling myself and the timid girl of my past was never the real me.

Ruffling my hand through my damp, dark hair, I roll my shoulders back.

“Holy shit, Cal. You probably should have stayed in the towel,” Alex blurts, his chin damn near hitting the floor when he gets a look at me.

The dress is a full-length maxi dress with a very low-cut front. The fabric plunges almost all the way to my belly button—something that is going to make steam billow from my mother’s ears. I can’t wait.

“No, Alex. Don’t do that,” I argue when he pulls his phone out.

“What? The miserable prick is at home moping. He needs to see this.”

Rushing over, I wrap my fingers around his phone and attempt to rip it from his grasp.

“Too late,” he says with a less-than-innocent smile.

“You’re a menace. I was feeling bad about the arse-kicking he clearly gave you.”

He scoffs. “I think you’ll find that I was the one kicking arse, baby C.”

“Yeah, it looks like it.”

“He fucked up. He fucked up bad, letting you think he doesn’t want you.”

Walking over to my dressing table, I drop my arse to the stool and strap some armour around my heart. “Are we still really talking about this?”

My eyes meet his in the mirror. Anger heats my insides when I find pity staring back at me.

“It’s over, Alex. We’re done. So if you still want a chance, now is probably a good time to make a play for it. I hear rebound sex is fantastic.”

His jaw tics and his lips purse as he stares back at me, his head shaking slowly.

“If I thought for even a second it would do any good, I’d be right there, Cal. But I have zero intentions of hurting either of you.”

He falls back on my bed as if everything is cool and I didn’t just offer to fuck him in the hope of getting his twin out of my system.

Jesus. What the fuck is wrong with me?