Chapter 35

Cecilia

We both turned to find Sophia rushing toward us, her face the picture of apologetic concern. Madison followed a few steps behind, her expression unreadable.

Sophia walked over to us. "I am so, so sorry. I ran into Mrs. Winston—Arthur's mother—outside and we just got to talking and I completely lost track of time."

She pulled out a small shopping bag from Tiffany's, extending it toward me. "Please, let me make it up to you. It's just a small token of apology."

"You made us wait over an hour," I said flatly. "And you think a gift is going to fix that?"

"Cecilia, I really am sorry—"

"Save it." I turned to Alice. "Come on, let's go."

"Oh, how noble," Madison's voice cut through the air like a knife. "The girl who seduced her own guardian playing the victim. And bringing along someone who seduced her own brother. What a pair you two make."

The words hit like a physical blow. I felt Alice go rigid beside me.

I turned slowly to face Madison, my mind racing.

Seduced her own brother? I glanced at Alice, whose face had gone completely white, and suddenly pieces started clicking into place.

Oh my god.

"You vicious bitch," I said, my voice deadly quiet. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Madison's smile was cruel. "Just stating facts. Everyone knows what she is. And you—" She pointed at me.

"You're no better."

"Shut your mouth," I stepped forward, putting myself between Madison and Alice. "You don't know anything about either of our situations."

"Don't I?" Madison's voice rose, losing some of that calculated control. "I just know that Arthur Winston was supposed to be mine."

Oh.

Oh.

She wanted Arthur.

"You're jealous," I said, and I couldn't keep the laugh out of my voice. "Holy shit, you're actually jealous."

Her face flushed scarlet. "I am not—"

"You are." I stepped closer, feeling a savage sort of satisfaction at the way she flinched back. "You wanted Arthur, but he never even looked at you, did he? He love me."

"You're nothing!" Madison's composure finally cracked completely. "You have no family, no breeding, no—"

"But I have him," I said softly, letting each word land. "I have Arthur. I know exactly what he looks like when he first wakes up. I know the sound he makes when I touch him. I know how his hands feel on my skin, how his mouth tastes, how his body feels moving against mine."

I watched her face go from red to white and continued mercilessly. "I know how he looks at me like I'm the only person in the world that matters. How he holds me when I'm upset. How he says my name when we're alone."

Her whole body was trembling with rage, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"You bitch," she hissed. "You fucking—"

"Come on, Ceci," Alice said quietly, tugging at my arm. "Let's go."

The moment we were in the car—me in the driver's seat this time, Alice broke down.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, her whole body curling in on itself. "I'm so sorry, Ceci. I ruined everything. I should never have come."

"Stop," I said firmly, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "None of this is your fault. Not what Madison said, not what people think, none of it."

"But it's true," she choked out between sobs. "What she said about me and Max, it's—"

"It's not the whole story," I interrupted gently. "Is it?"

She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. I waited, giving her space to gather herself.

Finally, in a voice barely above a whisper, she started talking.

"I was adopted into the Reynolds family when I was fifteen," she said, staring straight ahead through the windshield.

"I thought it was a miracle. A gift from God, you know? Going from foster care to this beautiful home with this beautiful family who wanted me."

She laughed bitterly. "Except they didn't want me. Not really. I was adopted to be... to be a comfort. A replacement. Something to fill the void that Max left when he was taken."

My heart clenched. Arthur had mentioned something once about Max being kidnapped when he was twenty, how everyone thought he was dead.

"He'd been gone for a year when they adopted me," Alice continued. "Mrs. Reynolds was destroyed. Completely broken. And Mr. Reynolds didn't know how else to help her, so he thought maybe having a child in the house again would..."

"Would make her feel better," I finished softly.

"Yeah." Alice wiped at her face. "But it didn't. Not really. She'd look at me sometimes like she was trying to see him in me. Like she was trying to convince herself I was enough. But I never was."

"Alice—"

"And then he came back." Her voice cracked. "Three years later. Max came back. He'd escaped, killed everyone who'd taken him. And suddenly the whole house came alive again. Mrs. Reynolds was herself again. Everyone was happy again."

She turned to look at me, her amber eyes red and swollen. "And I thought that was it. I thought they'd send me back now that the real son was home. But Max..."

Her expression shifted, became softer, almost wistful. "Max was different than I expected. He was harder than everyone said he used to be. Colder. But with me, he was so kind. He asked how I was doing, if anyone was treating me badly. He took me places, taught me things. He made me feel like I mattered for the first time since I'd been adopted."

"You cared about him," I said quietly.

"I loved him," she said simply. "I loved him so much. He was the first person who made me feel like I wasn't just a replacement, like I was actually wanted. And I thought... I thought he saw me as a sister. I thought we understood each other."

Her face crumpled. "But four years later, he told me he loved me. Not like a brother. Like... like a man loves a woman."

"And then?" I prompted gently.

"And then he kissed me," she whispered. "Right there at some family dinner. In front of everyone. And before I could even process what was happening, he announced that I was his girlfriend. Just claimed me. And now he won't let me go."

She looked at me desperately. "Everyone thinks I seduced him. That I used him to secure my place in the family. But I didn't, Ceci. I swear I didn't. I just wanted a brother. I just wanted family. And now I can't even have that because he wants something I can't give him."

I pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly as she sobbed against my shoulder.

"Listen to me," I said firmly. "What happened between you and Max—that's not your fault. You didn't seduce him. You didn't manipulate him. He made a choice to pursue you in a way that wasn't appropriate, and you have every right to say no."

"But I can't leave," she choked out. "He won't let me leave. And part of me doesn't even want to because I still care about him and I hate myself for it."

"That's normal," I said. "Caring about someone who hurts you doesn't make you weak. It just makes you human."

She stared at me, her breath hitching. "I... I don't know. I don't know anymore. Max is still waiting for me at home. I don't know if I should go back. Today was supposed to be a perfect day."

"That's okay," I said softly. "You don't have to know right now. Shall I take you out to play? Anywhere you want."