Chapter 3
Lila’s cheek stung, but she didn’t back down. Her voice cut through the bar like a blade.
“You keep my mother’s name out of your mouth, Sadie Marianne Stone. You’re a desperate thief who can’t get her own man! What is this now—your tenth stolen boyfriend? Does he even know he’s part of your twisted little game? Get a life, Sadie!”
Sadie’s eyes widened, her face paling, but then she lunged, grabbing Lila’s hair and yanking it hard.
Fueled by sangria, rage, and everything she’d bottled up all day, Lila snapped. She fought back without thinking, slapping, clawing, dragging Sadie like a feral cat in survival mode. She wasn’t even in her body anymore—she was somewhere else, raw and burning, needing Sadie to feel the pain she carried.
She reared back for another swing—
“Stop!” Ethan jumped between them, catching her wrist. “Ouch! What the hell? Knock it off, both of you!”
Lila staggered back, chest heaving, fists clenched. She still wanted to rip Sadie apart.
But Ethan?
Oh, the anger she had for him was on another level entirely.
Sadie may have flirted, but Ethan made the choice. He betrayed her. He shattered what they had. This? This was on him.
“Don’t touch me,” Lila hissed, shoving Ethan’s hand away.
“You owe Sadie an apology,” Ethan said, his tone hard and righteous.
Lila blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You were out of line,” he said, crossing his arms like a scolding parent. “I get it—we hurt you. But grow up, Lila. You can’t talk to her like that. Say sorry.”
She stared at him, stunned. Was this the same guy who once promised to protect her? Who kissed her like she was his entire world?
No. That guy was gone. She saw that now.
Her heart cracked as fresh tears welled up. “So you want an apology?”
Lila turned to Sadie, her voice low and fierce.
“Fine. I’m sorry you’re so pathetic that you have to steal other people’s boyfriends. I’m sorry you’ll never have real friends, because no one wants to be around a backstabbing snake.”
Sadie’s eyes narrowed. Ethan’s jaw clenched.
“What is wrong with you?” he snapped. “That’s not an apology! Do it right!”
“I’m not your puppet, Ethan,” Lila shot back. “And for the record, I dumped you ten minutes ago. Remember?”
“That’s not how it happened!” Sadie shrieked, her face flushed red.
Lila ignored her. “Hope you two enjoy each other.” Her voice trembled, but she kept her head high. “Go on, have your fun.”
She spun around and stormed out, heart pounding, tears mixing with the rain as she pushed through the bar’s doors. The cold hit her like a slap.
Outside, everything blurred—cars, lights, rain. Sadie’s smirk burned in her mind. Lila had caused a scene in her favorite place. Rusty’s would never feel like hers again. That ache rivaled Ethan’s betrayal.
She ran.
Down the street, soaked, directionless. The sangria buzz wore off fast, leaving just pain, anger, and humiliation. The rain stung, mixing with her tears.
Carla had tried to sell her like junk.
Sadie had betrayed her.
Ethan had thrown her away.
And her dad? Drowning in a bottle like always.
The only home she had left—the one her mom had built with love—was about to be sold out from under her.
Before her mother died, Lila had made a promise: protect the house. Hold onto the memories. Take care of Dad. But how could she do that when she had nothing?
Mia was out of town. Sadie had probably locked her out of the dorm. She was alone.
And everything came down to one thing:
Money.
She needed fifty thousand dollars.
She whispered it aloud, as if saying it made it more real. “Fifty thousand. That’s what Carla wants.”
Where was she going to find that kind of money?
Her throat tightened. She wandered aimlessly, body trembling, soaked to the bone. Carla’s screeches rang in her head. Her dad’s silence. Tessa’s mockery.
Lila had never let herself cry—not really. But tonight, it broke through.
“I can’t keep doing this,” she mumbled, shivering. “I just need a hot shower. A warm bed. Something… kind.”
She tried hailing a cab. Nothing stopped. One car even splashed her with filthy water.
She stepped forward without thinking—
Right into the road.
Tires screeched. A sleek black sports car stopped just in time, the rain glistening across its polished hood like diamonds. It was the kind of car that didn’t belong in her world.
She blinked up at it, dazed.
Someone who could afford a car like that… maybe he could give her a job. Maybe he had fifty grand.
Her knees gave out, and she dropped to the pavement, sobbing.
Carla had given her away. Ethan had replaced her. Sadie had mocked her. Her father had disappeared. And she was drowning, with no one to save her.
The car door opened.
A tall man stepped out, his presence commanding even in the rain. “Ma’am, are you okay?”
His voice was deep and velvety, like melted chocolate.
Lila cried harder.
He looked around nervously as passing drivers stared. He raised his hands, mouthing, “It’s not me.”
The man sighed, clearly exasperated. “Ma’am?”
This time, Lila lifted her head. Her eyes were red, her face blotchy, her tears endless.
The man flinched, startled.
That face…
No. It couldn’t be.
She was dead.
“Elise?” he whispered, voice barely audible
