The car glides through the morning—smooth, unhurried, like a boat drifting through golden water. Outside the window, Crystal County unfolds in soft amber light, the sun still low enough to kiss the rooftops, to spill through the gaps between buildings and paint the world in shades of honey and cream.

I sit in the back seat, leaning against the leather, watching the city drift past in silence.

Everic sits beside me. I don’t need to look at him to feel his gaze—it presses against the side of my face, warm and insistent, like a hand waiting to be acknowledged. But I keep my eyes on the window. On the trees slipping by. On the distant hills wearing their crowns of morning mist.

His hand reaches out before I can stop him—fingers pinching my cheek, squeezing hard enough to tug the skin.

Not painful. Just invasive. Familiar in a way that makes my teeth clench.

"Lili..." His voice drips with that singsong affection he knows I hate. "Why are you ignoring me?"

I flinch. Just a little. A reflex I can’t control. Then I push his hand away. My movements sharp. Final.

"How many times have I told you?" My voice comes out flat, scraped clean of emotion. "Don’t call me that."

He doesn’t listen. He never listens.

Instead, he moves closer, shifting in his seat until his shoulder presses against mine. His hand slides across my shoulder and settles there comfortably.

"Come on," he says, the teasing back in his voice. "You’re my little brother. At least let me call you that."

A pause. He lets it stretch.

"You know," he continues, and I can hear the smile in his voice before I see it, "I told Silas your nickname."

My jaw tightens.

"He smiled." Another pause. Deliberate. "Said it was cute. That it suits you."

My expression shifts. Just a fraction.

Suits me.

The words land somewhere I didn’t expect. For a moment, Silas’s face flashes through my mind. That soft smile. The way his eyes crinkle at the corners when he laughs.

I shove the thought away.

I look at Everic.

"What the hell are you doing?" My voice is quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that comes before something sharp.

"Should I tell all your secrets to your boyfriend? Who you really are? How you’re cheating on him?"

Everic blinks. Calm. Unshaken.

"Cheating?" He tilts his head, like he’s genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"

"Do you think I’m blind?" I don’t raise my voice. I don’t need to. The coldness in my tone is sharper than any shout. "I saw what you were doing with Silas. I saw your face. Even without reading your mind, I can tell just by looking at you."

He laughs. Not a nervous laugh. Not a guilty one. Just... easy. Like I’ve told him a joke he’s heard before.

"Oh, Lili..." He shakes his head, still smiling. "Are you jealous? That I got close to your husband?"

Jealous.

I snap before I can stop myself.

"Jealous?" The word comes out sharp, almost a scoff. "My foot. Who cares about your business?"

Everic tugs at his tie—a small, habitual gesture, adjusting something that isn’t crooked. Calm. Unbothered.

"Your actions don’t match your words."

I don’t answer.

I look away. Outside, the city blurs past—buildings and trees and people living their lives.

Then Everic’s voice changes. The playfulness drains away, replaced by something quieter. Something almost serious.

"It’s true." He says it like a confession. Like a gift. "I’m trying to impress Silas."

A pause.

"Doesn’t that make things easier for you?"

My gaze shifts to him again.

Easier for me.

He meets my eyes. Doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t look away.

"I know you still don’t truly accept him as your partner." His voice is softer now. Almost gentle. "I know you want to get rid of him."

A pause. He lets the words settle between us.

"So I decided." He leans back slightly, completely at ease. "I’ll pursue Silas." Another pause. "Once he falls for me, he’ll give you the divorce you want." A small shrug. "Mom and Dad won’t have much of a choice after that."

His eyes stay on mine. "And you..." His voice lowers. "You’ll be free." A pause.

"Like before."

Free. Like before.

The words settle somewhere deep. Somewhere I don’t want to look.

I stare at him.

"If you have a problem with this," he says, "you can tell me."

I blink.

"Problem?"

"What I mean is—" He pauses. For the first time since this conversation started, he actually seems careful with his words.

"Do you like Silas?"

He asks it like he’s asking about the weather. Casual. Unhurried.

"Do you want to stay with him?"

The question hangs between us. The car hums softly beneath our feet.

"If you do, I’ll step back." His voice is earnest now. Almost sincere. "I don’t want to destroy my little brother’s marriage."

A pause.

"But if you don’t..." He lets the words linger. "Just accept my proposal. Let me pursue him." His gaze stays on mine. "He’ll give you a divorce." Another pause. "And he’ll be mine."

I stay silent.

Everic waits.

Like him?

"You don’t need to answer right away," he says at last, filling the silence I refuse to break. "Take your time."

A few moments pass before I speak.

"What if I agree?" I ask. "After you pursue Silas... what are you going to do?"

"Marry him, of course."

"What about your boyfriend?" I keep my eyes on him. "The Omega you brought to the mansion for dinner? You said you loved him. You said you’d do anything for him."

A pause.

"So... are you going to break up with him?"

A smirk spreads across Everic’s lips. Slow. Confident.

"Who said anything about breaking up?" He shifts in his seat, completely at ease. "Don’t worry." His smile widens slightly.

"I’ll handle it."

"You’re going to cheat on both of them."

He shrugs. Unbothered.

"I’m not cheating." His tone is maddeningly reasonable. "I’ll tell my boyfriend, Blaze, that my parents forced me to marry Silas. And I’ll tell Silas that I’m only with Blaze because of my rut."

A smile.

"Simple."

I turn back to the window.

"Disgusting."

Everic laughs. The sound is easy. Careless. "Come on. Don’t act like you care." A pause. "I really don’t want to lose either of them."

His voice softens slightly. "And don’t you think Silas is easy to manipulate?"

Another pause.

"He’s innocent."

A beat.

"Cute."

Another.

"Beautiful."

His smile lingers.

"Pure."

The word settles between us. For a moment, neither of us speaks.

Then Everic exhales softly. "I don’t even know when I started falling for him."

I keep staring outside.

Silas’s face drifts through my mind—Uninvited. Unwelcome. Impossible to banish.

His soft smile. The way his eyes crinkle at the corners. The way he always looks at me.

Innocent...

Everic’s voice cuts through the fog. "Just give me your answer soon."

I don’t answer.

I can’t.

Because Silas’s smile is still there, lingering at the edge of my thoughts. And the words he wrote once—

The words I threw away but somehow still remember.

I really like you.