"Savannah, let's not go there.Please."

I laughed, unamused and bitter. How typical. How predictable.That was what everyone did. They dodged, they squirmed, they built little walls of silence around the truth as if ignoring it long enough would scrub it clean. Or maybe magically make it reality.

But the thing about silence is that it doesn't erase. It festers. And if you've lived with a festering wound as long as I have,you learn to recognize the stink. You learn to live with it. Get used to it. Become it.

"That's just it, Uncle Jace," I snapped, the words tearing out of me before I could cage them. "Why does everyone do this? You all push me to the edge, then you stand back and point to the pit like it's my fault I fell in in the first place. Why can't any of you-just once-admit what you did to me? Why can't you fucking admit it, Uncle Jace?"

The phone trembled in my sweaty grip. I didn't even realize I was crying until the salt hit my lips.

"You all made me carry the guilt!" I choked. "You, Mom, Dad-every single one of you. I was forced to tell that lie every time someone asked,and I was made to say that I had an affair when I didn't. Why?!"

There was a pause. A long sigh crackled through the line, heavy as guilt. "Sav,believe me, I had no hand in any of that. Your mother just said that-"

"Yes! My mother said." My voice was breaking into pieces, each shard sharper than the last. "She said it'd be better if I stuck to that version because Monica was pregnant and already had a little boy who loved his

father. A little boy who'd grow up to find out that his father isn't the hero he thought he was. She said it'd be cruel for Asher's family to see him for the criminal he really was. So instead I was the one ruined. I was the one branded a slut, a homewrecker! I was the one spat on, slapped and disgraced in public by Monica, humiliated! While he walked free and played family man. How the hell is that fair?"

"Jesus Christ," he muttered. "Of course it wasn't fair. Who ever said it was?"

I barked out a bitter laugh. "Mom said. She said I had to do it or things would get worse. Monica was Chloe's teacher, and we were close with the Kingstons, blah blah blah, so I had to sacrifice my life for some stupid bond. She chose them over me. Her own daughter. Tell me, why do I always get treated like this? Why won't any of you ever love me? Why won't you defend me, just once?"

"No, sweetheart. Of course I love you.I-"

"No, don't." I cut him off, my voice ice. "Don't even finish that sentence because you know it's not true. It's never been true."

"Savannah, calm down," he whispered."Please."

And then I laughed again. Not because anything was funny, but because the irony stabbed me through the chest.

"Calm down?" I said, half-hysterical. "Calm down when you-you stood there when my father had my baby taken from me. Don't you dare deny it, Uncle Jace. You knew. It was discussed. And you-you didn't objeet. You didn't try to stop him. You just stood there and let it happen."

There was a hollow silence on his end before his voice came, cracked

and defeated. "He is your father. How could I go against a father when it's about his own daughter?"

"'Roman did," I shot back instantly, shrugging even though he couldn't see me. "Roman defended me against him. Roman didn't give a damn if it was my father-he did what you all refused to do."

"That's different," Uncle Jace argued, though his voice lacked conviction. "He's your fiancé. He's supposed to protect you."

"And you," I hissed, "as my father's brother, were supposed to do what? Just nod along? Just keep the family secret neat and tidy while I was dying every single day?"

"Savannah..." His voice sounded like a man running out of road."I didn't call you to fight. I didn't call to point fingers or rake up what's past.What's done is done. The past is in the past. Move on, my dear."

I squeezed my eyes shut. It burned too much to keep them open."Yeah. At least I know now where I stand in your family."

"It's our family," he corrected softly.

I shook my head, though he couldn't see me. "No. You've all made that pretty damn clear. My only family is Roman."

On the other end, I heard him puff out a shaky breath,like smoke curling from a fire that should've died years ago.

"Savannah," he said finally, "there's something else I think you need to know."

I rolled my eyes and let my head tip back against the couch cushion.My body felt hollowed out, raw, drained. "Fine. What is it this time?

Another lecture? Another guilt trip?"

"Chloe is missing."

The words fell like a rock into a still pond, rippling through me. But instead of shattering me, instead of drawing panic,all I felt was...nothing.Absolutely nothing. Just empty.

Oh.I see.

If he thought that little bombshell was going to pull at my heartstrings,he had another thing coming. Chloe always got the spotlight. Always.Even now when this should be about me.

"Of course," I muttered with a hollow laugh. "How could I get ahead of myself and think you just wanted to talk to me? Of course this is about Chloe."

"No, Sav, that's not true. I wanted to know how you were doing.I was worried about you." His voice picked up urgency, tripping over itself."But yes, we also need to know if you've seen her. If she maybe came to you. Do you know anyone she might've run to?"

"Oh, isn't that just poetic?" I sneered. "Seems like our lives are tied together after all. Chloe and me. Always Chloe." Images flashed in my mind-Chloe's perfect blonde hair, her soft smile, the way Roman had spoken about them. Even though it meant nothing to him, it still meant something to me. I hated knowing that something connected them both.Hatred surged hot in my veins.

I hope she stays gone. I hope no one finds her. I hope she disappears so thoroughly she finally turns into a ghost.

"This is serious, Savannah. Your sister is missing."

"I don't care," I snapped. "For all we know she's at the damn mall.That's her happy place, isn't it? Spending Dad's money. Playing dress-up.·Waiting for someone to notice her. That's Chloe. Always desperate for attention."

"Savannah,don't..."

"Don't 'Savannah' me." My voice cut like a knife. "You know I'm right.She's the definition of a pick-me girl, and you know it. Are you going to lie about that too, Uncle Jace? Lying's a sin. You taught me that."

He said nothing. The silence was louder than anything he could've said.

"Good. Keep searching the malls, the bars, the clubs. She'll turn up.That silly blonde hair of hers isn't hard to spot. As for me?" I glanced at the clock, wiping tears from my raw cheeks. "I've wasted enough of my day on this call. Goodbye, Uncle. Don't call back."

"Wait,Sav-"

Click.

I ended the call. My breath hitched, shaky and uneven, and the weight of the whole conversation pressed down on me. I let out a laugh that came out half sob. My fingers left a wet smear on the handset.

I sat there for a long moment, the phone heavy in my lap, my hands trembling like I'd just run a marathon.

Too much. It had all been too much.

Finally, I pushed the half-eaten sandwich away. The sight of it now turned my stomach. I grabbed the plate and carried it toward the kitchen

on trembling legs to throw it out. I glanced at the brown bread and limp lettuce once before I shoved it into the bin without thinking twice. Then I walked back to my room.

But I stopped halfway.

Because in the corner of my eye, a shadow moved. Every nerve in my body lit up, sharp and hot. My gaze snapped to theliving room. And there he was.

A figure, sitting cross-legged on my couch. Dark. Solid. Watching me.My heart shoved against my ribs. The breath I'd been holding left me with a sma11, useless sound, and the world tilted sideways. Only one word slipped through my lips, quiet and terrified and intimate all at once.

"Roman."