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As she drove us back to Matthew’s mansion, I couldn’t stop looking at the mark on his cheek. The bruise was such a small thing. Within a few days, it would fade and the pain would be forgotten. But it felt so much bigger than that. It was yet another painful scar etched into the history of my family and Noah’s family. A mark that would only fester and grow worse as the years went by.

Deep down, I guess I’d always known there was no fixing the rift between us. It felt like our families were inextricably pulled together and yet doomed to always fall apart. We were caught in some never-ending spiral of pain and hurt. And when Noah had thrown that punch, he hadn’t just shattered whatever tenuous harmony there was between us. He’d cemented that rage in my own heart. I wasn’t just angry with him. I hated him. And I didn’t think it was possible to ever come back from that.

EPILOGUE

Noah

It was well after midnight as I slowly drove my car down Matthew LaFleur’s tree-lined driveway. I was probably crazy for coming here tonight, but I couldn’t sleep after what had happened this evening. The ache across my knuckles was a constant reminder of the punch I’d thrown, and I had to make sure everything was okay.

The hurt in Isobel’s eyes as she stared at me was going to haunt me long after the pain in my hand went away. I wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to understand my reasoning. And I was quite certain she would never forgive me for hurting her father that way.

My grandfather couldn’t have been more pleased though. All night, he had been patting me across the shoulders and commenting on how my father would have been proud. Clearly, William didn’t know my father at all because I knew he would have been disappointed at the idea of me punching anyone.

I parked under the shadow of a tree a short walk from the mansion and snuck around the back to enter the house through the kitchens. It was so risky to be here, and if I was caught, everything would be ruined. But the house was asleep, and I’d been told it would be safe.

The back door to the kitchen opened as I approached.

“I thought you’d get here sooner.”

My heart froze, only to relax again as the dim light of the kitchen flicked on to reveal Matthew LaFleur.

“Sorry,” I murmured. “I got away as quickly as I could.”

Matthew stood back and gestured for me to enter the house, and as I passed him, I saw he was holding an ice pack. I glanced up at his cheek and grimaced.

“Sorry about that.” I nodded to the bruise that was still forming.

Matthew waved my apology away. “It was necessary.” He drew in a breath. “And I’m sorry for what I said about your father. You know I didn’t mean any of it, right?”

“I know. Still, I wish it hadn’t come to that. I panicked when Isobel started talking about how you, my dad, and your sister and tried to fix things. How did she know about that?”

“That was my fault.” Matthew shook his head. “I shouldn’t have told Isobel about them. Especially with what we’re trying to do... I just didn’t think it would cause any harm to let her know.”

“No, you couldn’t have known she’d bring it up in front of my grandfather.” I sighed. Tonight had been a disaster, but at least it hadn’t been completely pointless. “One positive thing has come from punching you. William’s confident I’m on his side.”

“Good.”

“He’s still not convinced I don’t have feelings for Isobel though.” I’d been stupid to rush to her defense tonight. But when I first saw her standing before my grandfather and heard him throwing thinly veiled threats her way, I hadn’t been able to stop myself. I’d acted without thinking, and now Isobel wasn’t just a weapon he could use against Matthew. She was one he could use against me too.

“So, convince him,” Matthew replied.

I let out a laugh. “Yeah, because that’s so easy.”

“I didn’t say it will be easy,” Matthew said. “But it is necessary. He can’t suspect you have any sympathy for my family. And if it comes to it, you know he’ll try to use her against you.”

“I know,” I growled. “But what do I do?”

“You suck it up and act like she’s the enemy your grandfather thinks she is,” Matthew said.

“If we could just tell her what’s going on...”

Matthew shook his head. “It could put her in more danger. I don’t trust William Hastings, and the less Isobel knows, the better. We saw that firsthand tonight.”

I nodded. If keeping Isobel in the dark afforded her even a small amount of protection from my grandfather, I would do it. It didn’t make any of this any easier though.

“She’s moving on,” I murmured. “She might never forgive me.”

Matthew gave me a sad smile. “It’s a risk you have to take. If you ever want to be with her, this is the only way.”