Chapter Four

Raelynn

At twenty-two, I was better at pretending. Better clothes. Better posture. Better control over my face when things hurt. But apparently none of that mattered when your name is spoken in a tone that makes your stomach go cold.

It started like a normal afternoon. Rhett’s house was loud in the way it always was when he was home. Music somewhere. Shouting somewhere else. The familiar chaos of a place that had never fully learned silence. I had come over because Rhett insisted.

“You’re acting like a ghost,” he’d said on the phone. “Come eat something.”

“I eat.”

“Barely.”

“I’m fine.”

“Come over.”

That was the end of the conversation. Rhett didn’t argue. He just decided. So I went.

I was halfway down the hallway when I heard voices in the living room. One of them I recognized immediately. Even after years, your brain doesn’t forget certain sounds. Asrael Kerrigan. The other voice belonged to one of his old friends. I didn’t recognize it clearly at first.

I slowed down. Not because I meant to listen. Because my body stopped before my mind did.

“You’re staying longer this time?” the friend asked.

“Yeah,” Asrael replied. “Work’s quieter here.”

A pause. Then laughter.

“I still can’t believe Rhett’s little sister used to follow you around everywhere,” the friend said. “Like a lost puppy.”

Something in my chest tightened. I should’ve kept walking. I didn’t.

Asrael gave a small laugh. Not unkind. Just… familiar.

“Yeah,” he said. “She did.”

“She was cute though,” the friend added. “You ever think about that?”

A beat. Then Asrael spoke again. And that was where everything changed shape inside me.

“No,” he said simply. “Not really.”

Another pause.

Then, like it was the most natural thing in the world:

“I never saw her like that. And I still don’t.”

Silence followed. The kind of sentence that doesn’t know it’s capable of ruining someone.

The friend hummed. “Fair. She was basically a kid back then anyway.”

“Yeah. And even now… she’s just Rhett’s sister.”

That was it. My fingers went cold before I even realized I’d stopped breathing properly. Somewhere behind me, a floorboard creaked under my weight. I froze. Heart suddenly loud in my ears. I backed away slowly. Step. Then another. Quietly turning before anyone could notice I existed in that hallway at all.

A week later, Rhett called me again.

“Party tonight,” he said.

“I’m tired.”

“You’re always tired.”

“I’m serious.”

“You’re coming.”

It wasn’t a question.

“It’s just friends,” he added. “Nothing big. You’ll be fine.”

Something in his voice made me pause.

“Who’s coming?”

A beat too long.

“People.”

That should’ve been my warning.

But I was already too used to trusting Rhett’s version of events.

So I went.

The house was louder than I expected. Too many cars outside. Too many voices inside. Too much music pressed against the walls. And then I saw him. Asrael. Of course I did. He stood near the centre of the room like he belonged there without trying. Older now in a way that made everything around him feel slightly sharper. Familiar, but not reachable.

My steps slowed. No one had told me. Rhett hadn’t told me. I turned immediately, scanning for him. Nowhere to be seen. I pulled out my phone. No reply. Again. Nothing. I wished Maddie was here but I doubt she’d have been of any help. She would probably have teased me. That thought sent a shiver down my spine.

A tight pressure formed behind my ribs. I walked outside. The night air hit my face hard, cold enough to sting. I stood on the porch for a moment, staring at the yard like it might offer instructions. The sky was starless, it looked just as lonely as I. Inside, laughter spilled through the open windows. Warm. Alive. Not mine.

My phone lit up in my hand. Still nothing from Rhett. A small, bitter laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

Of course. Of course I was here. Of course I hadn’t been told. I stepped off the porch slowly. Away from the house. Away from the noise. Away from the version of myself that still thought she could belong in rooms where she wasn’t expected.

Before I could get too far from the house, a guy approached me.

“I’m Shawn, you must be Rhett’s sister”

I sighed. Am I just Rhett’s sister? I wish I never introduced myself as that to anyone.

“Yes, I am” I forced a smile.

“You look lonely, do you want some company?”

A car passed flashing its lights over us and I finally caught a proper glimpse of the man standing in front of me. God he was handsome. His dark hair fell in loose waves, brushing the edge of his sharp jaw carved with the sort of precision usually reserved for marble statues and expensive lies. His shirt hung over his broad shoulders, every movement relaxed but deliberate. His hands looked capable.

When he smiled, it arrived slowly, crooked at one corner first, as though amusement had to fight its way through restraint. That smile changed the atmosphere around him.

As much as I wanted to stay and talk, I really didn’t feel like it. I exchanged contacts with him and told him I’d keep in touch. I lied. He offered to take me home. I was so not falling for that. So I asked him to drop me off at some store that wasn’t too far from Rhett’s apartment.

Luckily, he agreed. That was a relief. God knows what would have happened he if had decided to do otherwise.

I walked over to Rhett’s apartment slowly. The road was less busy and the city was quiet. Almost everyone was asleep at this hour.

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