Page 23

Quinn

I sat on my bed, staring at the half-packed suitcase in front of me. I didn’t know what I was doing. The room felt too big, too empty like it wasn’t mine anymore. Maybe it never really had been.

I had packed my bag on instinct, but now that it was sitting there, staring back at me like an unanswered question, I didn’t know what the hell I was supposed to do.

Where was I even going to go?

Evie had invited me to stay with her, but the thought of leaving this house—of stepping out into the world after everything that had happened—made my stomach twist.

I didn’t want to stay, but I didn’t want to leave either. I just wanted to exist somewhere in between, somewhere no one could see me, where the weight of everything wouldn’t crush me whole.

A door slammed downstairs, and my pulse jumped. Evie.

By the look on her face when she stormed up the stairs, she’d been serious. She was leaving.

Something inside me lurched, and before I could stop myself, I was moving. My legs carried me out of the room, down the hall, down the stairs. I wasn’t sure why, but I knew—knew—that if I let her walk out that door without saying anything, I would regret it.

I stepped into the living room just in time to see her near the front door, her suitcase in hand.

Mom stood nearby, her face pinched with something that looked like worry, like sadness. But she didn’t say anything as she moved to the couch where Mark was sitting. He had his elbows resting on his knees, his head hanging low, and she rubbed circles on his back to comfort him.

It seemed a bit pathetic if I was being honest. Why the hell did he need comfort and not the rest of us? Then again, it wasn’t like she was getting any Mother of the Year awards anyway.

I heard North’s footsteps as he joined me near the wall, and my heart pitter-pattered pathetically when he stayed. I could feel his gaze on me as he leaned back, his arms crossed over his chest.

I didn’t dare look at him.

My focus was on Evie as she stormed back inside, her face red and tearful. She paused when I called her name and turned to face me.. God, she looked terrible. Maybe even more than me right then. Her face was tired, her eyes red-rimmed, but there was a determination there—a resolve that hadn’t been there before.

I swallowed. “You’re really going?”

She nodded, shifting the weight of her bag. “Yeah. I can’t stay here.”

I didn’t know what I had expected her to say, but the finality in her tone still made something tighten in my chest.

“Are you coming?” she asked.

The words sent a shock through me. Was I?

Could I?

I hesitated.

If I left now, it would mean cutting ties. It would mean turning my back on everything, on the life I had spent years trying to fix, trying to endure.

And maybe… maybe I wasn’t ready to do that yet.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. It was stupid to even think about, but what if I could find a way to save Dad’s reputation without giving up what really happened? Now that I knew the story, now that it had been confirmed that I wasn’t wrong in believing he was innocent, I wanted the rest of the world to know it too.

It had nothing to do with what happened to Aiden, or what he’d been hiding. And it had nothing to do with North and his friends. I just wanted to make sure the world knew my father wasn’t a murderer.

Evie studied me for a long moment before nodding, like she understood, like she wasn’t going to force me into anything.

But then she turned to Mark and for a minute it looked like something inside her broke.

“You told me Robert was a monster,” she said, her voice shaking. “That he was the reason Lila died. You made me hate him, Dad. You made me hate an entire family because of something you were a part of. Why? What did he have over you that made you do that?”

Mark lifted his head slowly, his expression heavy. His answer didn’t change. “I did it to protect this family. To protect all of you.”

Evie let out a hollow, humorless laugh.

“Bullshit,” she spat. “That’s fucking bullshit. Tell me the truth.”

Mark looked at her, his lips parting like he wanted to say something, but the words didn’t come. And suddenly, I realized—he wasn’t going to tell her. He wasn’t going to give her the truth. Because the truth was ugly. The truth would ruin him. And Mark had spent his entire life making sure his image, his reputation, stayed intact.

Evie’s breathing was ragged. She turned to Lauren then, her voice colder now, sharper. “You knew, didn’t you?”

Mom’s lips pressed together, her shoulders tensing.

Evie’s voice cracked. “Tell me. Someone fucking tell me why you covered up the details of the accident. Why Mom left.” She was begging now, and my heart ached in sympathy.

Mom flinched. And then she whispered, “She isn’t your mother.”

The room went still. My stomach twisted as Evie’s face paled. “What?”

Mark exhaled heavily, rubbing his temples before looking at her. “Julianne isn’t your mother, Evie,” he said, his voice rough. “Lauren is.”

The silence that followed was deafening. I felt like I had been punched in the chest. Evie looked frozen. Her fingers curled around the strap of her bag like she needed something to hold on to.

And then, just like that, it all made sense.

My mother’s obsession with Evie. The way she doted on her. The way she loved her in a way she never loved me. She married Mark to stay close to her. It was never about me. It had never been about me.

I felt something in my chest crack, something deep, something I didn’t think could be fixed.

Evie’s voice came out broken. “You’re lying.”

Lauren took a shaky breath. “I’m not.”

Mark didn’t say anything, because it was the truth and he knew it.

Evie let out a sharp, ragged breath, shaking her head as she turned for the door.

I watched her go, my feet rooted to the floor. A part of me wanted to stop her. I wanted to tell her not to leave. But I didn’t. Because what was I supposed to say?

I watched as she opened the door, and stepped outside. And then she was gone, and I couldn’t help but feel like I should run after her. Instead, I stood there, my fingers trembling, my heart heavy in my chest.

I turned to look at Mark, at Lauren, at North. None of them were looking at me. None of them had even noticed. And that told me everything I needed to know. I was done waiting for someone to care.

I walked back to my room, zipped up my suitcase, and this time, I knew exactly where I was going.