Page 135 of Double Standards

But I know better. Axel couldn’t have seen it coming. Aiden was afterhim, not me. None of us could have predicted what would happen.

The sharp slam of the front door jars me and I pull myself away from the bathroom mirror. The walls tremble slightly from the force, and the sound drags my heart into my throat. Heavy boots stomp across the floor.

Lexie. I’d know her walk anywhere.

Panic prickles in my chest. I twist the faucet shut with trembling fingers. My mind is still spinning, a tug-of-war between rage and numbness. I don’t know which will win out. Will I explode? Or will I sink back into myself?

“Cass?” Lexie’s voice cuts through the whirlwind. Her usual cheerfulness clashes hard against the storm in my head.

“In here,” I answer, forcing calm into my tone, but I don’t turn from the mirror. Not yet. I need another second to brace myself.

With a final breath, I walk out into the hallway and meet the hurricane head-on.

“Cass, I?—”

She stops mid-step. Her eyes widen, mouth parting in stunned silence as she takes me in. I freeze under her stare. Her gaze doesn’t waver, doesn’t blink. Her stillness is more terrifying than any outburst.

“What the fuck!” she barks, closing the distance fast. Her hands grip my face, not gently. “Who did this? Did Ax?—”

“No!” I recoil, peeling her hands away. “It wasn’t Axel.”

“I swear to God,” she hisses through clenched teeth, “if he touched you?—”

“It wasn’t Axel!” I snap, louder this time, pressing my fingers to the bridge of my nose as I turn away. My pulse hammers in my ears as I move toward the couch like it’s the only solid thing in the room.

“Then who, Cass? Who the fuck did this to you?” Lexie follows, dropping beside me. Her fingers wrap around mine, warm and tight. I see the glassiness in her eyes, the storm brewing behind them. She’s furious, afraid. I don’t blame her. I can barely stand to look at myself either.

“Aiden Daniels,” I say, barely above a whisper.

She blinks, stunned. Her mouth twitches, processing. “District Attorney Daniels?”

“The very one.”

Lexie’s on her feet in a blink, pacing. Her hands flail, slicing the air every few steps. Her thoughts are written in bold gestures, the anger simmering beneath her skin. “What in the sick fuck?” she snaps. “Why didn’t you call me?”

Why didn’t I?It’s a good question. A fair one.

Shame coils in my gut. I drop my eyes to the floor, fixating on the chipped polish on my toes. Easier to look at that than the guilt in her face.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I guess I didn’t think to.”

“Shit.” The word is more breath than sound.

I glance up in time to see her fall to her knees in front of me. Her hands find my face again, this time gently, cautiously.

“I’m sorry, Cass. That’s not what matters right now.”

Her sincerity wraps around me like a weighted blanket. I place my hands over hers. Lexie might act tough, hard, brash, emotionally bulletproof, but I know the soft spots she hides. I know her tells.

“Hunter found me,” I murmur. “He took me to Axel’s. I stayed the night. I guess I forgot to text you.”

The tears I’ve been holding back all morning finally break free, sliding silently down my cheeks. I don’t cry for Axel. I cry for me, for the fear, for the helplessness I felt, and for the way that bastard’s voice still echoes in my head.

Lexie moves beside me, her hand landing firmly on my knee. I bury my face in my hands.

“You’re okay,” she whispers. “That’s the main thing.”

Is it?