Chapter 48

Cecilia

We made our way back to the beach and collapsed onto the lounge chairs. The sun was high now, the heat sinking into my skin, and for a few minutes, we just lay there in comfortable silence.

Then I turned my head to look at Alice. "Can I ask you something?"

She was staring up at the sky, her eyes half-closed against the brightness. "Yeah?"

"Do you want to leave him?"

The question hung in the air between us, heavy and unavoidable.

Alice didn't answer right away. She stared up at the sky, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "I don't know," she said finally. "I mean—yes. Of course I do. But I don't know if I want to leave him—I mean, leave him for good."

I noticed she couldn't get her words straight.

"You love him?" I asked gently. "I mean, like, marriage-level love."

"I don't know," she said, her voice breaking. "I don't know if I love him. Maybe. Max was really good to me before. Everyone else in that house ignored me—I was invisible to them. But Max noticed me. He cared. And then... It's like he turned into someone else."

"He doesn't think you love him," I said softly.

Alice broke down crying. "Yeah. I wasn't even ready to deal with his feelings, and he went and told everyone. Now everyone's talking shit about me." I caught Alice looking at Sophia when she said that.

Sophia acted like she didn't notice, keeping her mouth shut.

"Alice," I said softly. "You don't have to do this alone. Arthur and I—we'll help you. Carter too. We'll make sure you're safe."

"And Max?" Alice's voice was barely above a whisper. "What about him?"

"Fuck Max," I said flatly. "A person who only indulges in his own preference, indifferent to all your hardships. You matter more."

Alice turned to look at me, her eyes wide and shining. "You'd really do that? Even knowing what he might do?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation. "I've been where you are, Alice. Not exactly the same, but close enough. And I got out. I spent four years away, building my own life, becoming my own person. And then I came back. On my terms."

Alice stared at me, and I could see something shifting in her expression—hope, maybe, or the beginning of determination.

"You think I could do that?" she asked.

"I know you could," I said firmly. "You're stronger than you think. You just need to believe it."

She said. "maybe I could give it a try. Just stay away from all those messy rumors. When I’m ready to face everything, I’ll come back to see Max."

Sophia

I lay on the lounge chair, staring up at the sky, my mind a tangled mess of thoughts and emotions.

The music.

God, that music.

It had been so beautiful, so overwhelming, that for a moment, I'd forgotten everything else. Forgotten about Madison, about Carter, about the impossible choice I was supposed to make.

The melody had wrapped around me like a blanket, soft and comforting, and I'd let myself just... feel.

And then Cecilia had called my name.

I'd been so surprised that she'd even acknowledged me. But after that? Nothing. Not a single word.

Alice had clung to Cecilia like she was the only person in the world who mattered, and Cecilia had let her, giving her all the attention and warmth I'd craved so badly back in college.

It stung.

But what stung even more was what I'd just overheard.

Cecilia was going to help Alice leave Max. She was willing to take on Max and his entire family—one of the most powerful families on the East Coast—just to give Alice a chance at happiness.

I stared at her, lying there in the sun, her hand still holding Alice's, and I felt something crack inside me.

She was fire. She was the sun. She stood there and drew everyone's gaze, made everyone else fade into the background. No wonder Arthur loved her. No wonder Alice clung to her like a lifeline.

And Madison?

Madison didn't stand a chance.

The thought made my stomach twist. Madison was my best friend. My sister. The person who'd been there for me when no one else was. But Cecilia was... everything Madison wasn't. She was brave and selfless and willing to burn the world down for the people she loved.

How was Madison supposed to compete with that?

How was I?

I closed my eyes, feeling the sun on my face, and tried to push the thoughts away. But they kept coming, relentless and suffocating.

Carter loved me. I knew that. But did I love him? Really, truly love him?

Or did I just love the idea of him?

I didn't know anymore.

What lies ahead terrifies me. I thought, my chest tightening. And I don't know if I ought to stop that plan. That ongoing plan!

Several hours later.

The sun was setting by the time we finished dinner at the little beachside café Cecilia had found. We'd spent the afternoon doing many things—riding jet skis, building sandcastles like children, laughing until our sides hurt.

For a few hours, I'd almost forgotten about everything waiting for us back at the villa.

Almost.

Now, as we walked back to the car, the weight of reality settled over me like a lead blanket. My steps slowed, my hands twisting together, and I could feel my heart starting to race in that familiar, awful way that meant panic was creeping in.

"Sophia?"

I looked up to find Cecilia watching me, her brow furrowed with concern. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said automatically, but my voice came out thin and unconvincing.

Alice stopped walking too, turning to look at me. There was something different in her expression now—not warmth exactly, but not the cold from this morning either. Something softer, more uncertain. "Are you sure? You look really pale."

I opened my mouth to brush them off again, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, I felt my eyes start to burn, and I had to look away before they could see the tears threatening to spill over.

"Sophia." Cecilia's voice was gentler now. She stepped closer, her hand hovering near my arm like she wanted to touch me but wasn't sure if she should. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head, pressing my palm against my chest where my heart was hammering. "It's nothing"

Cecilia frowned. "I’ll drive. Let’s head back right away."

I sat in the car, tense with nerves, because… because Madison was inside the villa.