Chapter 47
Cracks in the Glass
The Tower apartment reflected me a hundred times, red hair wild, eyes raw, lips pressed tight. Remy kept echoing. My best friend. Fries and hospital waiting rooms. Lipstick before meetings. Feeding my life to the press like scraps.
The door opened. “Maddie?”
Lucas.
He knelt in front of me, palm warm on my neck, the other covering my shaking hands. “Say you’re angry.”
“I’m humiliated,” I choked. “She knew everything, Lucas. Every scar. And she used them.”
“Then she was never your friend.” His voice was steel wrapped in velvet. “You have me now. Always.”
“What if I can’t handle it?” I whispered. “What if I break again?”
“Then I’ll break with you,” he said, forehead to mine. “And we’ll build something stronger out of the pieces.”
Something inside me shifted. Not just pain.
Trust.
The city still glittered outside.
Inside, I picked myself up and he held me tightly.