Chapter 2

Asher took a slow drag from his cigarette. "We ruin her reputation. Then we'll see how long she dares to keep freeloading."

"What if she can't take it and...does something drastic?"

Asher shot him a look, a cold scoff escaping his lips. "You sound worried. Don't tell me you actually fell for her."

Finn's denial was instant. "Never! She was just a game."

"Chloe's coming back. You think I have time to waste on Blair?"

I stood frozen outside the door, my heart turning to ice.

Chloe Davis was their childhood friend, practically family, and Finn's first love.

I knew Asher hated me.

In his mind, my mother's affair drove his mother to jump. So his grief hardened into rage, and I was its new target.

Even after I started dating Finn, Asher's disdain never faded. But the outright torment stopped.

I thought he was finally starting to accept me.

I thought I was finally getting a brother, that I could pour all my hope into something normal with Asher.

I never imagined it was a setup, worse than anything he'd done before.

He and Finn were best friends. How could I have been so naive to think Finn actually liked me?

I had overestimated myself.

A hard lump rose in my throat, bitterness flooding my mouth. I turned and fled the house like a woman possessed.

It was pouring outside. I was soaked.

The moment I got home, I fumbled for my phone and texted Professor Sterling. "Professor, I'm in. I'll join the project abroad."

He'd been my mentor through the international circuit, a heavyweight in smart technology.

used to kill myself trying to be the best-all for a shred of recognition from my family.

But no one ever noticed.

Not my mother. And certainly not Asher.

The project was highly classified, meaning I'd be locked in a lab for three years. I'd turned it down without a second thought.

None of that mattered now.

Still shivering from the rain, I curled into a tight ball and fell into a feverish sleep.

I woke from a nightmare, my skin burning.

As I tried to push myself up for medicine, my bedroom door slammed open.

Before I could speak, my mother stood there, her face twisted with rage. She hurled a stack of photos directly at me.

"Blair! How could you? Are you so desperate you'd sleep with anyone?"

Finn had taken those photos after I blacked out.

My vision went white. A cold, hollow despair bloomed in my chest.

They hadn't wasted a single night. By morning, copies of those photos were everywhere.

Just two days before, Finn had been swearing on his life. "I'll take care of you. We'll get married right after graduation."

He'd plied me with so much alcohol, and eventually, I caved under his constant pressure.

He'd pulled me back to bed repeatedly, and I'd let myself get lost in the moment, caught up in what I thought was love.

Seeing my silence, my mother kept pressing. "Say something! Who did this? If these get out, Mr. Hayes and I will be a laughingstock!"

She never cared about me, only about herself.

But when I choked out Finn's name, my mother fell silent.

Then the accusations began. "Finn Miller? His family is untouchable. Do you have any idea what you've dragged us into?"

"And you were together, weren't you? Even with proof, what can we possibly do? You should have known better than to let it get this far."

I stared at her, my eyes widening in pure disbelief.

She avoided my gaze. "The photos have been taken down. People will forget soon enough."

Finn's family had power and wealth the Hayes couldn't challenge.

The door clicked shut. I looked up and saw Asher standing at the top of the stairs, a cold smirk on his lips, his gaze gleaming with undisguised triumph.

He'd expected this all along.

The truth was irrelevant.

A wave of helplessness crashed over me, pulling me under.

I slumped against the wall, sobbing uncontrollably.