The heavily guarded gates of the Windsor Mansion swing open as I drive toward them, my license plate registering automatically.

I haven’t been able to pull myself out of this funk I’m in, and I’m hoping Sierra can distract me.

All I’ve been able to think about all week is Ares.

I keep replaying the way he smiled at me when he gave me the tablet, the happiness in his eyes when he realized how much I loved it.

I hate that he keeps giving me hope without even realizing it.

It’s in every thoughtful gesture, every shared moment between us.

Lately, my thoughts have been tormenting me relentlessly, my mind conjuring images of him in my parents’ house with Hannah — the two of them reciting their vows, him kissing her in bed in the bedroom right next to mine.

My mind seems determined to torture me, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

I just want to forget.

I can’t even remember the last time I stayed at home while Ares was there.

I run a hand through my hair and sigh.

No.

That’s a lie.

I remember it vividly.

The sounds coming from Hannah’s bedroom.

Our rooms are right next to each other, our beds pressed against the same wall.

I heard them together all night long.

It was years ago, yet I still can’t bring myself to stay at my parents’ house whenever I know Ares will be there overnight.

I just can’t do it.

“Raven, sweetheart,” Grandma Anne says warmly when I walk in.

I smile the moment she opens her arms and walk straight into her embrace.

“Grandma,” I murmur, hugging her tightly.

She strokes my back soothingly, and I smile as I breathe in her familiar lavender scent.

“Rough day, huh?”

“Rough week,” I admit.

“Come on. I’ll have the staff bring out some chocolate cookies I baked earlier.”

“Wow,” I murmur dramatically. “This is true love. You really do love me, don’t you, Grandma? I always knew I was secretly your favorite.”

She chuckles as she leads me into her sitting room in the main house.

I’d originally planned to head straight to Sierra’s place, but resisting Grandma Anne’s cookies is impossible.

Grandma’s home sits at the center of the estate compound, connected directly to each Windsor sibling’s house through elaborate hallways.

Whenever I come here, I always stop by Grandma’s first instead of driving straight to Sierra’s.

Grandma sits down and pats her lap.

A soft laugh escapes me as I lie down on the sofa with my head resting against her legs.

She massages my scalp gently, and my eyes drift shut.

“Your heart is aching,” she says softly.

I tense immediately, unsure what to say.

I’m terrified she’ll see straight through me.

Grandma Anne has an uncanny ability to read people, to uncover the secrets they desperately try to hide.

It’s taken everything in me to keep mine hidden.

“Just tired, Grams. I think I’ve been working too hard lately.”

“You’ve been running too hard,” she corrects gently.

I fall silent, afraid I’ll betray myself if I speak again.

I inhale deeply, focusing instead on Grandma Anne’s hands.

She’s always been able to soothe my worries so effortlessly.

She’s always given me the love and comfort I lacked elsewhere, never expecting anything in return.

Once again, I find myself wishing I was the one marrying into this family.

I love my sister, but I can’t help the resentment that keeps creeping in.

It isn’t only our parents’ love and Ares’s love that she has.

Soon, she’ll have all of the Windsors too.

She’ll become Sierra’s sister-in-law.

Ares’s wife.

The Windsors may be used to me coming here, but I’ll never truly belong the way Hannah will.

“Rave! You grandmother-stealing little bitch!”

I smile at the sound of Sierra’s voice and tighten my arms around Grandma Anne’s waist as she chuckles and keeps massaging my head.

“I thought you came over to spend time with me, but really, you’re here for Grandma. How rude.”

I hear something crunchy and immediately sit up in horror.

“Those are mine!” I gasp. “Those are my cookies!”

I lunge at her, but Sierra lifts the plate out of my reach.

“Sierra, I swear to God. Give me the cookies!”

She cackles as she stuffs three cookies into her mouth, emptying the plate entirely.

“You stole my grandmother, so I get your cookies.”

I turn toward Grandma Anne with wide, betrayed eyes, silently begging for support.

“Grandma!” I cry dramatically, but she only chuckles and shakes her head, her gaze drifting past us.

I turn around to find Ares standing near the doorway, his phone pointed directly at Sierra and me.

“How much do you think I could make if I sold footage of a supermodel fighting over cookies?” he asks smugly.

“Oh no, you don’t,” I mutter through gritted teeth as I stalk toward him.

He smirks and raises his phone high above his head.

I may be tall, but Ares is six-five and towers over me.

Not that it’s going to stop me.

I jump up and reach for his phone, frustration bubbling inside me when I still can’t reach it.

“Give me that phone,” I snap.

“Or what?” he teases with a laugh.

I narrow my eyes at him and grab onto his shoulders before jumping up, wrapping my legs around his waist as I reach for the phone.

He’s clearly caught off guard and instinctively spins us around, pinning me roughly against the wall as his eyes lock onto mine.

I blink slowly, suddenly realizing exactly what I just did.

“I got it,” I say casually as I delete the video from his phone.

My smile vanishes the moment the next image in his gallery appears.

It’s a picture of Hannah lying in bed, most of her body hidden beneath the sheets, smiling brightly at the camera.

I recognize the bedroom instantly.

The photo was taken at my parents’ house, probably on her birthday.

I push against Ares immediately, and he carefully lowers me back onto the floor.

“Sorry,” I murmur quietly as I hand him his phone back.

He frowns in confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

I shake my head and walk straight past him toward Sierra’s house.

She follows after me quietly.

For a few moments, it felt like we were kids again.

Back before Hannah and Ares started dating.

Back when everything between us felt simple and effortless.

But reality isn’t anything close to simple anymore.

“What did you see on his phone?” Sierra asks softly.

“A photo of Hannah,” I whisper. “In bed.”

She grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers as we walk toward her house.

“I’m sorry, babe.”

I shake my head.

“It’s my own fault.”

“You know what you need?” she asks suddenly. “You need to get completely wasted. Let’s go out, trash-talk my idiot brother, and drink until you feel better. Sound good?”

I nod and tighten my grip on her hand.

With the wedding getting closer so quickly, maybe that’s exactly what I need.

One night to let loose.

One night to finally force myself to let him go.