Chapter 14
I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.
Not a real one, but the emotional kind, the one that leaves you with gritty eyes, a pounding head, and a hollow ache in your chest that no amount of sleep can fix.
Could you get a hangover from crying too much? Because that’s exactly what it felt like.
Last night kept replaying in flashes.
Andrew at my parents.
My dad’s voice, sharp and unshakable.
The way my whole family closed ranks around me without hesitation.
And Brody…
God, Brody, holding my hair like it was nothing. Like I wasn’t in full public humiliation mode.
I groaned and sat up, taking in the familiar walls of my childhood bedroom.
Did I really spill everything in front of my parents, my siblings, and the Palmers?
Yes. Yes, I had.
And then Andrew showed up, declaring his love in front of everyone as if it were some kind of grand romantic gesture, instead of the manipulative stunt it was.
What did he think would happen? That he could pull out a seven-year-old son like a party trick, finally divorce Victoria, and I’d just… roll with it? Be the stepmom in the happily-ever-after fantasy he’d been selling me?
No.
Andrew liked his two separate worlds, and yesterday made me realize he never planned on giving one of them up.
Kicking the blankets off, I swung my legs over the side of the bed. The hardwood was cold against my bare feet, and a shiver ran through me. I dug into the drawer my mom still kept stocked with my old things and pulled out a pair of mismatched fuzzy socks.
The house was quiet as I padded down the hall, my stomach reminding me it had been far too long since I’d eaten anything real. I needed coffee first. Then food. And maybe a run or a hike… something to burn off the storm still swirling in my chest.
Chase was already in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a mug of coffee, scrolling through something on his phone. He glanced up when I walked in, and the way his eyes softened made my throat tighten.
“Morning,” he said.
“Morning.” My voice came out hoarse. I went straight for the coffee maker, grateful for the normalcy of the ritual.
He studied me for a moment, then said, “You look like shit.”
I snorted. “Thanks, big brother.”
“I mean it,” he said quietly. “How are you holding up?”
I shrugged, avoiding his eyes. “I’ve been better.”
He set his mug down and came to stand across from me at the island. “I couldn’t sleep last night. Kept thinking about… all of it. About what you’ve been dealing with on your own. I’m trying to wrap my head around how someone could...” He cut himself off, jaw tightening.
“It’s over,” I said, trying to sound final, even if part of me still felt tangled in Andrew’s lies.
“Is it?” Chase asked, voice low. “Because a guy like that… I don’t think he’s just going to walk away.”
“I’ll make him,” I said, but even to my own ears it sounded more like hope than certainty.
Chase’s gaze sharpened. “Last night you got sick. And you mentioned the birth control thing. Did you…?”
I shook my head quickly. “No. I didn’t stop. I wasn’t ready to. Not until I knew we were… real. That he was really mine.”
He exhaled slowly, relief mixing with frustration.
“Ok, well, as a doctor, I feel like I need to remind you that even your birth control isn't one hundred percent effective and there are ways to reduce its efficacy.... But as your brother.... Cass, you don’t have to justify any of this to me. But for the record? He was never worth betting your future on.”
“I know,” I whispered.
There was a beat of silence, then he said, “I was going to go for a hike. You want to come? Might help clear your head.”
I hesitated, not sure if I could handle my big brother today. “Let me eat first. I’m starving.”
We ate in easy quiet, the kind you only get with people who’ve known you your whole life. He didn’t push more questions, but I could feel him watching me, still turning things over in his mind.
Half an hour later, we pulled into the trailhead parking lot, and I froze halfway out of the car.
Brody’s truck was there.
And so was Brody.
“You didn’t say he’d be here,” I hissed.
Chase frowned. “What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is I haven’t seen him in years, and the last time he saw me was last night… during the shit show that was my lowest moment.”
Chase just smirked. “Pretty sure he’s not holding it against you.”
Brody spotted us and lifted a hand in greeting, easy and unbothered. “Hey, you two ready?”
The trail wound through dense pines, the air sharp and clean. For a while, it was just the sound of boots on dirt and the occasional bird call.
It felt like a moment of reprieve, levity, with the sun kissing my nose and cheeks, the kind of peace only nature can provide.
Chase kept pace beside me, glancing over now and then. “You don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want to,” he said finally.
I shrugged. “Might as well. If I keep it all locked in my head, it’ll just rot there.”
So we talked.
About how I found out.
About the ways I’d justified staying.
About the parts of myself I’d lost without even noticing.
He listened without interrupting, his brow furrowed. “Cass… none of this makes you weak. You know that, right?”
“Some days I do,” I said. “Other days I feel like I let him turn me into someone I don’t even recognize.”
We hiked in silence for a while after that. Brody moved a few paces ahead, not eavesdropping but never too far away.
By the time we reached the overlook, the sun was higher, scattering light across the valley below. I stood there, breathing in the cold air, and for the first time in weeks, my chest didn’t feel quite so tight.
The ache eased if only a little.
Brody stopped a few feet away, leaning on the wooden railing. His gaze was on the view, but his voice was low when he spoke.
“Just so you know, you’re not the only one who’s had… a mess.”
I glanced at him. “What do you mean?”
He let out a dry, humourless laugh. “My ex? The one I moved to Victoria for? Found out the big promotion she got was because she slept with her boss. Guess she figured that was easier than working for it.”
I blinked, caught between surprise and disgust. “Wow. People are awful.”
“Yeah,” he said, his mouth twisting wryly. “But maybe some of us aren't, maybe some of us are worth it.”
Something in the way he said it made my cheeks warm, so I turned back to the view before he could see. The valley stretched endlessly in front of us, and for a moment, it didn’t feel so heavy to stand there.