Page 48 of North

And for the first time, I wondered if there was any way to fix this. Or if I had already burned every bridge I had left.

Victor didn’t stop me. Just watched, his gaze dark and unreadable.

I didn’t know how long I kept going. The sound of my fists slamming into the bag, the sweat dripping down my spine, the burn in my muscles—it was all I could focus on. All I allowed myself to feel.

Until Victor finally spoke again, his voice low. “Delete the video, man. That’s the least you can do.”

I froze.

The silence stretched between us, thick, suffocating.

I turned slowly, meeting Victor’s gaze, my breath still coming fast. “What?”

Victor sighed, crossing his arms. “You heard me.”

“That’s not going to change a damn thing,” I told him, my heart rattling.

Victor’s eyes darkened. “Maybe not. But you owe it to her.”

I didn’t answer.

Didn’t say that I already knew that. Didn’t say that I had known it the second I saw the tears in her eyes last night. Instead, I turned back to the punching bag, rolling my shoulders, and setting my stance.

And I hit.

And hit.

And hit.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was already too late.

Chapter 18

Quinn

Evie hadn’t said much since we left the house, and I was grateful for that. I wasn’t sure I had it in me to talk—not when my mind kept replaying every awful second of last night. The laughter. The sneering voices. My own voice played over the speakers, words I’d said in the moment.

I dug my nails into my arms, trying to ground myself, trying to push away the humiliation curling like poison in my gut. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t escape the hurtful memory of North abandoning me—and me finding out that he’d recorded us together and played it for most of the town to see.

Victor’s party had been huge, and I remember Summer telling me about how many people attended. We’d been swimming in the pool when she told me about it. And I think that was the main reason I decided to go to North’s party after all because she’d told me there were so many people attending that no one would really give a shit if they saw me.

Looking back on it, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed that she’d used me so much. I’d genuinely thought we were friends with all the things we’d spoken about, and done. Then again, if she was really in love with Connor like I thought, then it all made sense.

I was still just very disappointed about it.

“You don’t have to talk about it,” Evie said suddenly, her voice calm but firm. “But I need you to know this—what happened wasn’t your fault.”

I stared out the window, watching the scenery blur past. Houses, trees, fences—normal things that didn’t belong to me anymore. Not after last night. Not after I’d been branded as a joke, as a game, as the stupid girl who trusted the wrong boy.

“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered. My throat felt raw, my voice barely a whisper. “Everyone saw. They’ll never forget.”

Evie tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. “That’s bullshit. You’re Quinn Harley, and you don’t owe them shit.”

I let out a sharp laugh, hollow and humorless. “What other choice do I have?”

She didn’t answer. Not right away. And I didn’t expect her to, because there wasn’t an answer. I had no choice. I had no control. They took that from me when they decided I was nothing more than a pawn in whatever twisted game they were playing.

The car slowed, turning onto a long driveway, and I frowned as I glanced up. The house was modest, surrounded by a wide-open yard that felt strangely empty. Something about it was familiar, but it wasn’t until Evie cut the engine that it clicked.

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