Chapter 40

Cecilia

Arthur and Max boarded then, their presence filling the cabin. Arthur's eyes found mine immediately, a silent question. I gave him a tiny nod—I'm fine—and he relaxed slightly.

Max, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to murder someone. His gaze swept over Alice, then me, then landed on Sophia with something close to disgust.

"We ready?" Carter asked, oblivious to the tension.

"Yeah," Arthur said. "Let's go."

The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom, announcing our departure. Sophia hesitated, then sat down a few rows away from us, her movements stiff.

As the plane began to taxi, she stood up again, her hands twisting together. "Cecilia, can I—can we talk? Just for a minute?"

I glanced at Alice, who was glaring daggers at Sophia. Then I looked at Arthur, who raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Fine," I said. "But make it quick."

She nodded and gestured toward the back of the cabin. I followed her, keeping a few feet of distance between us.

When we were out of earshot, she turned to face me, and I was surprised to see genuine emotion in her eyes. "I really am sorry," she said. "About the mall. About Madison. About everything."

"Okay." I crossed my arms. "So what now? You gonna keep being her friend? Keep letting her say shit like that?"

"It's not that simple." She bit her lip. "Madison and I—we've been friends since college. She was there for me when no one else was."

I studied her, trying to reconcile this version of Sophia—vulnerable, scared—with the cold, calculating woman I'd seen at the mall.

"That doesn't excuse what she did to Alice," I said finally.

"I know." She looked down at her hands. "But Madison—she's not all bad. She's just... she wants things. And when she doesn't get them, she lashes out."

"What does she want?"

Sophia's eyes flicked up to meet mine, and I saw the answer there before she said it.

"Arthur."

Of course. Of fucking course.

"Well, she can't have him," I said flatly. "So she better get over it."

"I don't think she will." Sophia's voice was almost a whisper. "She's—she's obsessed. And when Madison wants something, she doesn't stop until she gets it. Or destroys it."

A chill ran down my spine. "Is that a threat?"

"No." She shook her head quickly. "No, I'm just—I'm trying to warn you. Madison is coming to Arthur's grandmother's birthday party next month."

I blinked. "How do you know about that?"

"Arthur's mother mentioned it. When we ran into her at the mall." Sophia's expression was carefully neutral. "She invited me. And Madison."

My stomach sank. "Great. Can't wait."

"Cecilia—" She reached out like she was going to touch my arm, then thought better of it. "I know you don't believe me, but I really do want things to be okay between us. Carter loves Arthur like a brother. And he—he wants me to be part of that. To be accepted by his friends."

"Then maybe you should've thought about that before you let your psycho friend attack a girl who's been through hell," I shot back.

Her face crumpled. "I know. I know, and I'm sorry. I just—" She took a shaky breath. "I don't know what to do. Madison is my best friend. But Carter—" Her voice broke. "Carter is everything."

For a second—just a second—I felt bad for her. She looked lost, torn between two impossible choices.

Then I remembered Alice's face at the mall, the way she'd frozen when Madison called her Max's pet, and the sympathy evaporated.

"Figure it out," I said coldly. "Because if Madison comes after Alice again—or me, or Arthur—I'm not gonna stand there and take it. And neither will Alice."

Sophia nodded, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I understand."

"Good." I turned to walk away, then paused. "And Sophia? One more thing."

"Yes?"

I looked back at her, making sure she saw the steel in my eyes. "You said family and love are both important. That having both is ideal. But you're wrong. Love is the only thing that matters. Everything else is just noise."

Her face went pale. "You don't understand—"

"I understand perfectly." I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Carter loves you. He's doing all of this—this trip, this whole thing—because he loves you and wants his friends to accept you. But you're so busy trying to please everyone else—your parents, Madison, Arthur's mom—that you're forgetting the one person who actually matters. And if you keep that up, you're gonna lose him."

She staggered back like I'd slapped her. "That's not—I would never—"

"Wouldn't you?" I tilted my head. "You already chose Madison over doing the right thing once. How long before you do it again?"

I didn't wait for an answer. Just turned and walked back to my seat.

Alice looked up when I sat down, her eyes questioning. I gave her a small smile and handed her another gummy bear.

"Everything okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," I said. "Everything's fine."

It wasn't, but she didn't need to know that.

Sophia

I stood in the back of the cabin, my legs shaking so badly I had to grip the edge of a seat to stay upright.

Love is the only thing that matters. Everything else is just noise.

Cecilia's words echoed in my head, relentless and sharp.

I thought about Carter. About the way he'd looked at me when he found me in that closet all those years ago—like I was something precious, something worth saving.

I thought about the way he smiled when I walked into a room, the way his hand always found mine in a crowd, the way he'd planned this entire trip just to give me a chance to make things right with his friends.

He loved me. I knew that. I'd always known that.

But did I love him?

I wanted to. God, I wanted to so badly. He was everything I was supposed to want—handsome, kind, from a good family. Marrying him would secure my future, make my parents proud, give me the life I'd always dreamed of.

But then I thought about Madison.

Madison, who'd been there when no one else was. Madison, who'd held me when I cried, who'd made me laugh when I wanted to scream. Madison, who wanted Arthur Winston with a desperation that bordered on madness.

Madison, who I'd do anything for.

Even if it meant losing Carter.

The thought made me feel sick. I pressed a hand to my stomach, trying to steady myself.

You're gonna lose him.

No. No, I wouldn't. I couldn't.

But as I looked across the cabin at Cecilia and Arthur—at the way they fit together so effortlessly, the way they didn't need words to understand each other—I felt something crack inside me.

Because Cecilia was right.

I didn't love Carter the way he loved me. I loved the idea of him—the security, the status, the fairy-tale ending. But when I closed my eyes and imagined my future, it wasn't his face I saw.

It was no one's.

Just me. Alone.

And that terrified me more than anything.

I sank into a seat, my hands trembling. The plane hummed around me, carrying us toward paradise.

But all I felt was the weight of everything I was about to lose.