Page 39 of The Chaos She Brings

“Hey, Cari,” I mumble through a yawn, rubbing at my eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Enzo’s my best friend. He called to say he was here, so I came.” She shrugs like it’s the most obviousthing in the world.

Oh.

She hesitates, then adds, “I’ve been wanting to check on you, see how you’re doing. Sounds like... there’s a lot going on.”

Carina crosses the room and, before I can say anything else, she wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. Her hold is warm and reassuring, like she’s trying to squeeze some strength into me.

“I don’t understand any of this,” I admit quietly, my voice cracking. “It’s all just... too much.”

“I think Enzo has some answers,” she says, pulling back to meet my gaze, “but he wouldn’t explain anything until you were up.”

I swallow hard, my thoughts spinning. “Did he tell you...?” My words falter, stuck in my throat.

“That he’s your brother?” She nods. “Yeah, he told me.”

“How is that even possible?”

Carina offers a small, sympathetic smile. “That’s a question for him, I think.”

She gestures for me to get up, and I groan as I stretch, my back cracking loudly.

“I’ll be out in a sec,” I tell her, trying to gather myself.

“Alright. Love you, Tess,” she says, pausing at the door with a small smile.

“Love you too, Cari.”

I slip into some joggers and an oversized jumper, tying my hair up in a messy bun. I could use a shower, but I’m way more interested in what Enzo has to say.

I take the stairs two at a time and skid to a stop in the living room doorway, the room going silent as all eyes turn to me.

Carina’s curled up next to Nate on the sofa, Cupcake peacefully snoring in Nate’s lap. Kai’s sitting in the armchair, his face a hard mask—imagine the Mona Lisa after being dragged through a hedge backwards.

I realise now that he’s uncomfortable. He doesn’t like having so many people in his space. It almost makes me feel bad for him. Almost.

Then there’s Enzo, leaning against the far wall like he’s surveying a battlefield. His eyes lock with mine, and he tries to smile, but it looks more of a grimace than anything reassuring.

I make my way to the sofa and plop down next to Carina and Nate, trying to pretend like this isn’t the most awkward moment of my life.

No one says a word. The silence is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife, so naturally, I blurt out the first thing that pops into my head.

“So... is this a family intervention, or are we just collectively bad at small talk?”

Enzo snorts a laugh, earning a glare from Kai, who looks like he’s auditioning for the role ofMost Likely To Murder Someone At A Dinner Party.

“Tess, I’m sorry for springing that revelation on you earlier,” Enzo says, opening what I’m sure is going to be a series of uncomfortable conversations.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” I say, waving a hand dismissively. “Finding out I have a long-lost brother is barely cracking the top five weirdest things that happened to me this week. You’re basically a side dish at this point.”

“How do you know she’s your sister?” Nate asks, probing.

“Kai asked me to look into her adoption—”

“What the fuck?” I screech. “How do you even know about that?”

Kai rolls his eyes like I’m the most oblivious person on the planet. “I know everything about you, Tess.”