Chapter 30
I miss the Vitalyn on days like today. I don’t know where my head is right now.
Everything at the hotel is total chaos, and my staff keep looking at me like I’m about to lose my mind.
Message from Henry to Olivia
Ethan
If someone had told me six months ago that I’d be spending a Friday night alone at home, I’d have laughed at them—but here I was.
With a packet of crisps and a Coke, wearing my glasses and a hoodie covered in crumbs, I sat in front of the TV watching an anime Grace had recommended.
Only a few weeks ago, I would have mourned my old life, but tonight, I didn’t miss it at all.
Maybe because it had never been the life I truly wanted, just the one that made me feel the least vulnerable.
But I no longer wanted to live my life in fear of getting hurt.
Who could hurt me, anyway? My dad? He’d already done so in the worst possible way.
And by not living the life I really wanted, I’d inadvertently been letting him keep his power over me.
That was the last thing I wanted, and so I was enjoying my night on the sofa to the fullest. The only way it could have been better was if Grace were here.
After our conversation last week, I’d worried things might be awkward between us—I’d broken down in tears in front of her, after all.
But if anything, we’d grown even closer.
Since then, I’d shared even more details about my childhood with her and had filled her in on how things stood between Henry, Logan, and me.
I’d also kept my promise and played something for her on the piano.
Just like the day at afternoon tea, I’d been nervous at first, but with each note I played, the tension eased.
Grace had loved it. And God, her appreciation had felt so much better than my dad’s praise ever could.
I pulled out my phone and took a photo to send to Grace.
Me:
I’m watching Sk8. It’s not what I expected, but I like it. And am I just imagining it, or is there something between Reki and Langa? I hope you’re having a nice evening.
I knew Grace wouldn’t reply—she was out with Rose and Kate tonight—but I was looking forward to hearing from her later.
I was sinking deeper into the sofa when the doorbell rang, which rarely happened.
I quickly paused the anime and hurried to the door, where I found Henry.
He had changed out of his suit into jeans and a dark jumper.
The last two weeks, ever since his addiction had become public, had taken a visible toll on him.
He’d issued a statement to the press, but the rumours persisted, and he’d been branded with a label he couldn’t easily shake off.
He needed to win back trust, which was no small task under the circumstances.
But if anyone could bounce back from a scandal like that, it was Henry.
“Hi,” I greeted him.
“Hey. Got plans for tonight?”
“No. Why?”
“I’m on my way to see Logan, and I wondered if you wanted to come along.”
I frowned. “To see Logan?”
He nodded. “I thought it might be nice.”
You mean strange and awkward was my first thought.
I hadn’t spoken to Logan for ages. We’d never been particularly close as children, yet another thing our dad had robbed me of.
In recent years, we’d completely drifted apart, and Logan had avoided The Darlington like the plague for a long time.
He’d apparently been at the hotel a few times since word had got out about Henry’s addiction, but I’d never run into him.
So my gut instinct was to turn down Henry’s invitation, though I had no good reason to, other than the fact that things would surely be stilted after all this time.
But Henry’s offer was also a chance to reconnect with Logan, and it would have been foolish to turn it down.
Sooner or later, I’d have to talk to him if I wanted us to be brothers rather than strangers.
“Sure, why not,” I said, though my heart was pounding.
Surprise flickered across Henry’s face, as if he hadn’t actually expected me to agree, but then he smiled. “Cool. Do you need a minute, or can we head off now?”
I brushed the crumbs off my hoodie and ordered the smart-home system to switch everything off. “I’m ready.”
Henry drove us himself in his Bentley. I tried not to feel nervous, but couldn’t quite shake it off. When Henry noticed, he assured me that Logan would be happy to see me, though I wasn’t convinced. There was a reason neither of us had tried to get back in touch before now, after all.
To my surprise, Henry didn’t take us to The Meridian. I’d somehow assumed we’d be meeting Logan at his restaurant, as it was Friday night. I wondered why he wasn’t working, but before I could ask, Henry pulled up in front of an unassuming house in Bloomsbury.
He turned off the engine. “Here we are.”
I glanced up at the building, its windows lit up. “This is where Logan lives?”
“Yeah, on the second floor,” Henry said, getting out. I followed him up the short path to the door.
Henry rang the doorbell and a buzzer sounded.
My stomach lurched, which was absurd. Logan was my brother, only four years older than me.
It shouldn’t feel this weird between us, and I wished we’d never let things get this bad.
But our dad had left us little choice. I couldn’t hold it against Logan that he wanted nothing to do with his old life or our parents, who had effectively banished him to France.
If it hadn’t been for our mum, I probably would have turned my back on The Darlington long ago myself.
I followed Henry up the stairs to the second floor, where Logan was already waiting at the door. His smile vanished the instant he saw me. Henry clearly hadn’t told him I was coming. I felt queasy and wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave. But it was too late for that.
“I brought Ethan.” Henry gestured towards me, as though it needed clarifying. I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole. “I hope that’s all right?”
Logan nodded, but his expression said otherwise.
I saw suspicion in his eyes, and his lips had tightened.
I’d forgotten how little Logan resembled Henry or me.
He didn’t take after our dad at all. With his blond hair and brown eyes, he looked a lot like our mum.
But it wasn’t just that. Everything about his appearance seemed like a rebellion against the Darlington name.
He had grown his hair long, and it was now tied back in a ponytail that revealed an undercut.
His beard was noticeably fuller than Henry’s, and his arms were covered in colourful tattoos.
Our parents and their acquaintances probably would have been shocked at the sight of him.
Logan held open the door for us, and we stepped into his flat.
It didn’t look like it belonged to a billionaire’s son.
The furniture was high quality but clearly secondhand.
There were no paintings on the walls, only photos in mismatched frames.
They showed Logan with people I didn’t recognise, except for three, where Henry appeared beside him.
Near the entrance stood a shelf with a few pairs of shoes and a coatrack holding two solitary jackets.
Henry kicked off his trainers and stepped up to Logan. He grinned before pulling him into a tight hug, slapping him warmly on the back. “Happy birthday, Dickface.”
I froze. Was that a joke? What was today’s date? I tried to remember, but it didn’t matter—I had no idea what Logan’s birthday was. I must have known once, but somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten.
Logan’s smile returned. “Thanks, Buttface.”
“You got my present?”
“Yeah, it came earlier.” Logan nodded towards something on the sideboard in the hall: a cheap bobblehead of a man in a suit. It took me a moment to realise it was a miniature of Henry. Henry gave the oversized head of his doppelg?nger a flick, and it started nodding wildly.
“It’d look amazing next to your bed.”
“Screw you,” Logan said, which made me feel even more out of place.
Not because I thought they were actually insulting each other, but because it was obvious they shared something I had with neither of them.
I already felt like a third wheel. Logan had probably been looking forward to a nice evening with Henry, not spending his birthday with me.
What had Henry been thinking, dragging me along unannounced, today of all days?
I cleared my throat, and they both turned to me. “Happy birthday from me too.” I didn’t dare move to hug Logan, and managed only an awkward smile. “I’m sorry I don’t have a present for you.”
“That’s OK,” Logan replied. “I’m just glad you’re here.”
That caught me off guard. “Really?”
He nodded, though he didn’t look particularly glad.
But maybe he was just as nervous as I was?
After all this time, we were strangers to each other and probably had very little in common.
I didn’t know the first thing about cooking, and I doubted we enjoyed the same music—judging by Logan’s appearance, I suspected he shared Henry’s questionable taste.
“What’s for dinner?” Henry asked to fill the silence.
Only then did I register the delicious smell.
“Tagliatelle al ragù, with homemade pasta. Vegan for you, of course.”
I looked at Henry. “You’ve got him cooking for you on his birthday?”
“He wouldn’t want me to cook for him.”
“True. Unless I wanted burnt toast with butter.”
“Hey! I can make that tofu scramble you showed me. Kate was a big fan.”
Logan snorted. “Kate would probably be a big fan of your burnt toast too.”
Henry opened his mouth to reply but then closed it again, as if he couldn’t really argue with that.