I stared at him one last time. 

No begging. No hope left. 

Then I was in the attic, locked up like I was nothing. 

Night fell. Rats scratched in the corners. 

One of them waddled right up to me. 

Then—creak. 

The attic door started to open. 

The rat bolted. 

Rainee’s smug face popped into the doorway. 

No one else around, so she dropped the sweet act and went full venom. 

“Look at you now. I told you Quentin was mine. But you? You actually thought you could steal him? Marry him? Please. You were just his side project.” 

That grin lit a fire in me. 

I grabbed something off the floor—launched it at her. 

She screamed and hit the ground.