a Hard

s, a frantic drumbeat of terror and humiliation. She' d seen me. Coming out of Holden' s room.

ged, my voice a

ard Holden' s voice, followed by two unfamiliar, formal voices. Ka

th fake concern, loud enough only for me to hear. "I wouldn't want to ruin my parents' arrival with your... little

, the polite laughter, the clinking of glasses. My worl

in less than

the anger, the bitter injustice of it all, threatened to consume me. He had blamed me. He had made me feel like

st message. To my uncle. "I'm coming. ETA soon.

n. My thumb hovered over his name

n. The name felt heavy, loaded with a lifetime

voice answered. "Chelsea? What is it? I'm quite

urprisingly steady. "I ne

coloring her tone. "It's a big day for Holden and K

rds tumbling out, cold and cl

th accusation. "New York? What on earth are you talking about?

t night? How did she k

ght?" I asked, my v

y disheveled! What exactly do you think you were doing? Trying to sabotage his engagement? Are you trying to seduce your step-brother?" Her voice was

step-brother. The words echoed in my ears, ringing with a horrifying trut

should have protected me, believed me. The woman who saw me as nothing but a nu

was the leftover, the baggage from a previous life. Holden, despite his eventual cruelty, had been the only one who seemed to truly see me, to offer a glimmer of warmth in my cold, isolated world. He was

ds choked with pain. "Do you even know what h

opardizing everything. My standing in this family, Holden's future, everything! This is your last w

. Just like that. The final, bruta

ly. It felt like a punch to the gut. My last anchor, gone. M

was over.

was in t

ouse, leaving only a small, neatly folded note on my bed. It was short, to

y social media accounts. All of them. Then, with a deep, shaky breath, I performed a f

my sanctuary and my prison. Empty. Just like I felt. But beneat

light. I walked out the front door, closing it softly behind me. No fanf