Page 3 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his

God, I love her for that. I know that, but at this point, pretending I’m okay is the only thing I can do to stop my friends from worrying about me.

She’s our glue. Yasmin was the missing piece in our little group and watching her with Chase sparks both hope and a fierce, biting jealousy—a painful reminder of what I might never have.

It hurts.

I close my eyes and lean into her, breathing her in like maybe she can absorb all the bitter jealousy pooling in my chest.

And then—because fate loves drama—Ashley’s phone vibrates on the table.

It’s just a buzz. A small, everyday sound. But the way she hesitates before answering sends ice through my veins. The surrounding air thickens with dread. All our conversations stop, our attention on Ashley.

We all know the ruthless nature of her family—the Slades, untouchable in New Hope, feared even by the worst of the worst. They are the chains that trapped Ashley in this doomed arrangement with Rhys.

“Hello?” Ashley’s voice is a trembling whisper. The conversation on the other end is muffled, but soon, her face pales as if drained of blood; her hand grips the phone until it turns white. My heart pounds—a warning drumbeat of impending disaster.

“What?” she asks, her voice barely audible. Rhys leans forward instantly, concern etched on his face, his hand falling protectively on her back. It’s instinct—his role as her shield, even if the love he shows her is nothing more than duty. And in that moment, watching him, I’m reminded of how deeply she’s entangled with him in ways I’ll never grasp. Ashley’s breathing quickens, her eyes glazing over before she cuts the call. “Dad’s dead,” she mutters to us.

Time doesn’t just stop; it collapses around us.

“What?” Arden’s voice cracks the silence, too loud and sharp. A few heads turn from nearby tables. Ella’s drink wobbles, seriously close to spilling.

Ashley’s gaze stays fixed on the table. “He was murdered.” She swallows, blinking rapidly. “My brother Jasper just called.”

My stomach drops. This isn’t good.

Tony Slade—Ashley’s father—isn’t just dead. He was murdered. And in New Hope, that doesn’t just mean loss; it means war. Her father was feared by almost everyone and hated by most.

Before any of us can speak, the doors to Grumpy’s burst open.

Two police officers enter and head straight towards us.

Dominic, our neighbour, leads the way. He’s usually got this lazy, charming swagger. Tonight, it’s gone. His jaw is tight. His eyes flicker to Ashley, then land on Arden. Dominic became a friend when he moved into the neighbourhood and started dating our neighbour Isabelle.

“Arden,” he pronounces, voice carefully neutral. “You need to come with us.”

Arden doesn’t flinch. Just leans back in his chair, arms folded in his typical Arden way. “Why?”

Dominic’s partner shifts beside him uncomfortably, hand twitching near her belt. The entire room is silent, watching everything unfold. I can feel their stares.

“You’re a suspect in the murder of Tony Slade.”

The silence doesn’t break—it shatters. Commotion erupts around us.

Ella’s up in a flash, drink crashing to the floor. “You have got to be fucking kidding me!”

I catch Logan walking around from behind the bar, phone at his ear, no doubt calling Ralph, Arden’s head of security, to let him know what’s going on.

“Why would Arden kill Ashley’s dad?” Ella demands. “That’s insane.”

Dominic sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose like he’s aged ten years in five minutes. “I didn’t want to do this. But if it wasn’t me, someone else would’ve come in and made a scene. When the call came in, I knew it would be better if I came. Please don’t make this harder.” Dominic is right; it is better that it’s him here, but it still doesn’t make it right.

Arden drains the last of his beer, then stands, calm as ever. “Let’s get it over with.”

Ella grabs his sleeve. “You can’t just go with them!” she pleads with him. None of this makes any sense. We only just got the call, and Arden isn’t the type to kill someone. Destroy you with his money? Sure. But murder? Definitely not Arden. He’s afraid of germs and carries hand sanitiser with him everywhere. He won’t even get in an Uber.

We had been trying to think of ways to get Rhys and Ashley out of their arrangement, so my guess is someone found out that Arden was digging around and wanted to shift the blame.

Arden kisses the top of Ella’s head, and my heart pangs with jealousy again. “It’s okay. I’ll be back,” he reassures her.

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