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I dragged myself to my feet after crying for hours. It felt like my entire body had been torn apart, but I needed to explain everything to the guys. I had to leave, and they needed to understand why. The walk to the cabins was agonizing, and when I found Lucas’s cabin empty, I almost gave up. Ryder’s cabin was the same. I rushed to Jaxon’s cabin, hoping they’d be there, but the door creaked open to reveal nothing. His things were gone.

Panic surged through me. I ran back to Ryder’s cabin—empty. By the time I reached Lucas’s, my breathing was shallow, and the tears came harder. The only things left behind were mine. They were gone. I couldn’t wrap my head around it, so I sprinted back to my old room in the lodge, praying they’d be waiting there for me. But they weren’t.

Shaking, I grabbed my phone and tried calling each of them, only to hear their voicemail messages. What had happened? Where had they gone so quickly? My mind couldn’t process it.

I wandered aimlessly back toward Lucas’s cabin to gather my things, only to be stopped in my tracks by Braxton, standing just outside the lodge. He was smoking, and when he saw me, he grinned, blowing smoke in my face.

“You look great,” he said with a laugh. “If you’re looking for your boyfriends, they’re gone.”

“Where did they go?” I forced the words out.

“They heard what a slut you are and left. Took them about fifteen minutes to get out of here.”

Cold dread seeped into my bones. “You told them I tried to kiss you.”

Braxton smirked. “No. Constance did. She thought they needed to know. And then I filled in the details, of course. Did you know we’ve been sleeping together for months? And you’ve been trying to sabotage my wedding the whole time?”

I squeezed my eyes shut. His words sounded like absurd lies, but it didn’t matter—he’d twisted the truth enough that they had believed him. They’d left me behind.

“You thought you were going to worm your way into the Heather  family, huh?” Braxton stepped closer, his voice dripping with mockery. “Jokes on you, Margot. They dumped you faster than I did.”

Without saying another word, I walked away from him. Nothing mattered anymore. He could win this round. I just wanted to get my things and leave as soon as possible. If my business survived the aftermath of Braxton’s lies, it would be a miracle. At least Mom was safe. That was the only thing that mattered now. I was more alone than when I first arrived, and my heart was shattering with every step I took in this new reality, but Mom was safe. That was why I had taken this job. Maybe, once I could breathe again, I’d appreciate the few things I had left.

It felt like I was wading through quicksand as I packed my things from Lucas’s cabin and returned to my small room. I could hear the first signs of morning approaching, but I hated it. I crawled into bed and pulled the blankets tightly over my head, hoping to block out the birds’ songs and the world. After sharing a bed with three large men who generated so much heat, my bed felt freezing. I couldn’t get warm and my body trembled uncontrollably.

I cried until I thought I had no more tears left, only to find myself crying again. I couldn’t stop thinking about how Lucas, Ryder, and Jaxon had left me. They’d believed the worst of me and walked away. I couldn’t understand how they could just leave without hearing me out. All of Lucas’s words about knowing I was loyal now felt like a lie. They didn’t trust me. They didn’t respect me enough to even talk to me. They didn’t care about me if they were willing to walk out the way they had.

It took forever for me to fall asleep, and by the time I finally did, the sun had risen fully, spilling light into the room. Hidden beneath my blankets, I slept fitfully, tossing and turning, haunted by nightmares. I woke up gasping for air over and over, until I gave up on trying to sleep again. I just lay there, under the covers, blinking to feel the weight of my eyelashes brushing against the fabric.

When the room started to darken again, I forced myself to get up and go to the bathroom. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, recoiling at what I saw. My eyes were swollen and red, dark circles hanging beneath them—I looked like I could’ve been cast as a zombie extra. The taste in my mouth was sour enough to make me drag myself to brush my teeth, but that was all the energy I could muster. I returned straight to bed, curling up again in the darkness.

I lost track of time as the sun set once more. My stomach eventually began to growl, but I ignored it. I ignored everything. I found that if I stayed perfectly still and held my breath, it almost felt like nothing was real. I hadn’t lost my friends. I hadn’t lost the men I loved.

The word “loved” hit me like a siren blaring in my ear, loud and alarming. It stung, sharp and cutting, a painful realization of my emotions in hindsight. The men I loved were gone. It had been so easy for them to slip into my heart, but deep down, I knew they wouldn’t just slide back out.

I was screwed.