Chapter 2
The tension in our house is all-encompassing, lingering heavily in the air and stifling the atmosphere. The college house burned once, and I am pretty sure it might catch fire again from the pent-up emotions alone.
It’s been eight weeks since that selfish asshole disappeared without a word, not caring what his absence would do to the group. Blake never thought much of me anyway. He discarded me as if I was nothing. But that’s on me for believing in that strange connection. Maybe all those romance novels I read went to my head, and I imagined things that weren’t there.
He started as a mission but was too smart and saw through me. Instead of me stealing information, he stole my heart. I basically begged him to choose me.
I will never let a guy hurt me like that. Happy endings only happen in romance books; I learned that hard way. There’s a gash in my chest that will never close for good, oozing with unrequited love and shattered dreams.
Pulling a strand of my hair back, I attach a clip and walk out of my room.
At the kitchen table, the silence stretches, once again nerve-racking. I have always wanted a big family and friends. I have those now, yet it’s not enough to fill the void in my heart.
Celine, Kaden, Abigail Voss, Abigail’s boyfriend Dane, and my twin brother, Hunter, are seated around the table. I take the chair next to Bailey Fairchild, smiling at her. She returns it, and then we eat our omelets, knives grazing on the plates, adding the only sound to the heavy silence. I steal a look at the empty chair. Blake left a void, like an eerie ghost sitting with us.
One day, I won’t think of him. One day, losing the only person who ever truly saw me won’t pain me this much.
Kaden lifts his gaze, pinning it on Bailey. Here we go again .
“How much longer, Bailey? I don’t fucking understand why you wouldn’t help us get him back.”
“Respect his decision.”
Hunter exhales loudly, not looking at her. After Blake left, Kaden stormed into Bailey’s room, demanding to know where Blake was. That’s how Hunter found out Bailey was the hacker. Since then, the dynamic between him and Bailey has changed.
“I understand you’re trying to respect his wishes, but we’re his family,” Abigail says softly.
Bailey grips the fork tighter. “Really? Because both you and Kaden were accusing him of being a traitor.”
“Bailey,” Dane says, his tone ringing with a warning. God forbid anyone says something to Abi. It’s cute and all, but Bailey is right.
“We all just needed time to process things, Bailey,” Celine tries.
It is not necessarily surprising that my best friend turned into a diplomat, trying to balance the group, but I see her in a new light. Kaden’s love made that softer side of her resurface. I am just happy she’s not angry and lost anymore.
“My answer hasn’t changed and won’t change. If and when he wants to come back, he will.”
“Then stop bloody sabotaging us,” Hunter says so low the room temperature drops.
She looks him right in the eyes—a rare moment, as they usually avoid each other. “Prove it.”
Two more love stories could have blossomed. Theirs, like Blake’s and mine, but both were slaughtered along the way.
Hunter stands up, raking a hand through his hair. “Fuck it all. Let’s scour this damn country. We know what he does. We’ll just follow the trail of underground fights, and without Bailey knowing where we are, we might have a chance at finding that asshole.”
“We have dinner with the matriarch today,” Abigail reminds them.
I only talked with the old matriarch once. Grandmother, as everyone called her, invited me to her private chambers because her health declined rapidly. She glanced at me knowingly and said, “You already have something of mine. You can keep it. But remember what you wear. Those pearls belonged to a queen. Become one, so you’ll be worthy of them.”
She was bedridden for a week before she died peacefully in her sleep.
Astute woman. I didn’t nod or apologize. The conversation was one-sided, but before I left, she said, “Loving the ones who don’t feel worthy of love requires strength.”
“I don’t lack strength. He just didn’t want me.”
I expected to see him at her funeral. Bailey surely must have informed him. Yet he never showed up.
One left and others came along, like my brother and me, the descendants of the Prescott line. That’s the cycle of life.
Bailey leaves for classes, taking her backpack with her.
“I don’t get her,” Hunter says.
“You don’t try to,” I say, leaving next.
Bailey and I have quickly become close friends. I rush to catch up to her.
She holds her backpack to her chest as we walk across campus. A blanket of gray clouds hangs overhead, making the air chilly. Winter is making its presence known—everything slowly dying, the cold taking the reins.
“Am I doing the right thing?” she asks, looking unsure.
“You should never hold on to people who want to go. It’s on him, but I’m sorry he left you to deal with his mess.”
“You’re upset, Mia. But Blake left because he thought he was doing the right thing.”
I want to believe her, but I can’t. “What if Cassandra asks you?”
“She hasn’t, and that makes me believe she knows him, and well.”
I sigh in response.
As we approach the English literature building, she places her hand on my arm. “Blake is a fighter. Always will be, but his demons run deep.”
If he had let me, I would have fought them alongside him .
I am so pathetic. I never had him to begin with, if you don’t count how he snuck into my bedroom night after night. While I was burning more and more for him, he was content with watching me sleep. That should have been proof that he was not attracted to me.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. See you later,” I say, walking inside the classroom. I put my notebook on the table, waiting for the class to begin. I am ahead in every course. Keeping busy means my mind doesn’t wander, and my heart takes a break from the longing. I need that small pause to function.
One day, my feelings will disappear, just like he did. But that day isn’t today.
“Good morning, class. Today, we’ll go through the work of James Joyce and his impact on English literature.”
While jotting down notes, my mind redirects its attention to class—focused and productive. But it won’t take long—it never does.
Once I’m back at the house, I head to my room to get ready for tonight. I am looking forward to what happens after dinner at the estate. A party is exactly what I need—getting lost in the music and having some drinks. No, I am not going there hoping Blake might pop up at any moment and fight.
Groaning, I change into a purple, long-sleeved bodycon dress. Cassandra announced she would make changes at the first dinner after Grandmother’s funeral. She doesn’t want to be called Mother—only Ma’am. In private, we can call her Cassandra—no more meaningless titles.
One thing that hasn’t changed is our attire. We’re wearing business casual to prepare us for when we’re ready to represent the Family. What roles each of us will take on will be discussed later.
Dabbing on a bit of eyeliner and mascara, I look at myself. Silver . Not even his nickname for me was original, yet I fell for him. I wish he did the same. Unrequited love is the worst––the slow death of your heart while you can’t do a thing to stop it.
My romance books stare back at me from the shelf on the right wall. I haven’t touched one since he left. I am too raw, even though I miss getting lost in them. But I thought he was my love story, and for the first time, living it felt better than reading about it. He was my first heartbreak, though, one I doubt I will recover from.
A knock later, Celine, Abigail, and Bailey walk in, all wearing long-sleeved dresses and elegant boots. Even though there’s friction in the group, our girls’ bond has become stronger.
“Ready?” Celine asks.
Abigail moves to my shelf, takes out a romance book, and looks at me knowingly. I don’t want them to worry about me. I am fine.
“Giving it to Dane for inspiration?” I ask.
She chuckles. “If he gets more inspiration, I’m going to combust.”
We laugh, and Celine says, “You know the guys read those too. When Kaden finishes one, he blows my mind even more.”
Bailey looks at them, then types something on her phone and shoves it in their faces. “This always delivers. Ultimate pleasure with no headache.”
I see the vibrator. None of us can suppress the amusement, and a peal of laughter erupts.
Celine and Abigail walk out first, then Bailey and I loop our arms together, following them to the cars parked out front.
“I love them, and I am happy for them but…”
“I feel you,” she says, and we exchange a knowing look.
Maybe that’s why we have become closer. We don’t have boyfriends who worship the ground we walk on.
“We can form the ‘Single and Okay’ group,” Bailey suggests.
“With the rabbit vibrator as our logo.”
“I’m sure we’d have more sign-ups than any other club on campus.”
We cram into Abigail’s Porsche while the guys pile into Kaden’s BMW. I like this change to carpooling. It shows our unity.
The iron gates open, and it never ceases to amaze me how spectacular the Family compound is, spreading over a vast acreage. On top of the hill stands the estate where the matriarch or patriarch of the Family usually lives, proudly displaying all its architectural glory. Surrounding it at the foot of the hill are six family houses––two story British colonial-style mansions. Lamps are strategically placed on each side of the road, connecting them all. A thin blanket of snow covers the lush vegetation and trimmed bushes, adding to the harmonious look.
Once my father regained his position of power, he moved to the Family compound and quickly renovated the house, which had been left to the whims of nature.
Along with Sebastian and Cassandra, Kaden’s mother, Christine, also lives here. This doesn’t feel like home, but I am happy that my father seems to be thriving here.
These houses will pass to us someday, but whether we move into them remains to be seen. Abigail and Dane already have a house, and Kaden and Celine are planning something nearby. The direction they’re taking shows how we’ll differentiate between the Family and our own lives moving forward.
“Any plans for tonight? We could have a girls’ night. It’s your turn to pick,” Celine says.
“I want to go out,” I say.
“Okay, anything in mind?” Abigail asks.
“The Cave.”
They exchange a glance. I am pretty sure they are thinking of ways to keep the guys away so it doesn’t end up like all the other times they crashed our girls’ night, showing up because they got bored, apparently. Sure.
Even though the girls stayed as long as I wanted and would never say anything, I know they worry about why I always pick that location. It’s because I am sick with a love that I can’t escape, trapped inside the prison of my feelings. My heart belongs to someone who threw the key away before he left me to rot.
“But if Hunter tries to hack my laptop one more time while I’m gone,” Bailey grumbles.
“I will never understand the weird tango you two are doing,” Abigail says.
“There’s nothing,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest and looking outside.
Abigail parks, and Samuel, the new butler and Thomas’s son, opens the door. After Grandmother’s death, Thomas retired.
Samuel welcomes us inside, with the guys following right behind us. From the grand foyer with its double staircase to the long hallways and every room beyond, crystal chandeliers drip down, their light reflecting off the perfectly polished hardwood floors.
Walking toward the dining room, I admire the precious paintings and art lining the hallway. Every inch and piece of the mansion carries an old-world charm, kept in pristine form—a testament to sophistication and regal elegance. Cassandra waits for us at the long mahogany table, looking poised in her two-piece suit and pearls.
We don’t have to kiss her hand, instead, we bow our heads.
“Ma’am,” we all say, and she gestures to the velvet seats.
Next to me, the seat is empty. It’s empty, like every Friday, so it shouldn’t surprise me. Cassandra always leaves the chair unoccupied. Why? I don’t dare to ask. Maybe she hopes he will return too.
“Ma’am, when are we going to start talking about the reconstruction of the Family and what that implies?” Kaden begins.
Some people are meant for something greater. Even though he is the firstborn and, as such, his birthright means he’ll be the next patriarch, I couldn’t imagine anyone else in that role. Kaden has an acute sense of responsibility and duty, carrying an aura of silent power.
Just then, the tall, solid wood door opens, and I blink, unable to believe he ’s real and not a figment of my imagination, conjured up by my stupid heart. His appearance is like the rumble of thunder in a starry night––all brooding and mysterious.
Cassandra’s lips curve into a bright smile. “Now, because the group is complete.”