Page 44 of Connor

My pulse spiked.

Quinn frowned. “What do you mean?”

Vic hesitated, then shook his head. “She looked exhausted. Really exhausted. And she wasn’t eating. I asked if something was up, but she just brushed it off.” His jaw flexed. “She does that thing, you know? Where she smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes?”

My stomach twisted.

I knew exactly what he was talking about. Because I’d seen it too—the other night, when I ended up banging on her front door, drunk off my ass and wanting to make amends. When she looked at me like I wasn’t anything more than a piece of dirt on her shoe, then let me inside anyway. The memory burned.

Quinn let out a breath, sitting back. “That’s… not great.”

“No,” Vic muttered. “It’s fucking not.”

He reached for his drink again, swirling the ice around in his glass, his expression unreadable. “I don’t know what’s going on with her,” he admitted, voice quieter now. “She’s always been independent, but this feels different. I know you guys aren’t really friends, but do you know if she was seeing anyone?”

I nearly choked, my gaze turning to Quinn. Was she seeing someone? It wasn’t impossible. Two months ago, I would’ve said no, but Summer was gorgeous and the last thing I expected from her when she left was to wait for me.

Vic rubbed his jaw, his stare flicking between North and Quinn, like he was trying to piece something together. Then, finally—his eyes landed on me.

“You staying in town for a while?” he asked. The question was so carefully casual that it felt like a loaded gun. I nodded before I even thought about it. His brows lifted slightly, like he hadn’t expected that answer.

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a shrug. “For a bit.”

I couldn’t tell him why. Couldn’t tell him that I had nowhere else to go. That I’d burned through every escape and foundmyself circling back to the only thing I still cared about. So I lied. Used the one excuse I knew he’d buy.

“Mom,” I said, exhaling slowly. “She’s staying with Aiden. We got into a fight, I decided this was better than hearing her talking about going back tohim.”

Vic’s expression darkened instantly. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

North muttered a curse under his breath, and even Quinn grimaced.

I just shook my head. “Wish I was.”

Vic leaned back in his chair. He looked away for a second, staring off into the middle distance, his jaw tight. Then—he sighed. Shaking his head. “That woman,” he muttered. “I swear to God.”

He didn’t say more. Didn’t need to. Because we both knew there was nothing else to say.

Chapter 14

Summer

Connor was sitting on the steps of my apartment when I got back from school on Wednesday.

My first instinct was to turn around and walk the other way. Not because I was afraid. Not because I couldn’t face him. But because I knew myself—knew him—and if I opened my mouth, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop.

He looked like shit. Dark circles under his eyes, his fingers laced together like he was barely holding himself up. He looked like he hadn’t slept, like he hadn’t eaten, like he had been suffering. And maybe that should’ve made me feel something. Maybe it would’ve before.

But now?

Now, I wanted him to suffer.

I wanted him to feel every ounce of pain he had shoved into my chest when he laughed in my face. When he accused me of lying. When he spread some other bitch’s thighs while I sat at home trying to figure out how to breathe through the wreckage he left behind.

My fingers grabbed my keys, pressing into my palm hard enough to leave indentations. The pain kept me grounded. Kept me from marching up those steps and slapping the exhaustion right off his face.

I didn’t slow down. Didn’t hesitate. I took the stairs two at a time, shoving my key into the lock. If he wanted to sit there and drown in his misery, fine.

He deserved to choke on it.

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