Page 29 of I See You

But the sound of her phone ruined that plan.

She groaned, blindly reaching for it, barely glancing at the screen before answering.

"Hello?" she muttered, her voice thick with sleep.

"Don’t ‘hello’ me, bitch." Harper’s sharp tone cut through the receiver, making Sevyn close her eyes. "Get your ass out of bed and come get a workout in."

Before Sevyn could respond, she heard Dorian’s voice in the background.

"Tell that hoe to stop moping over that sorry-ass nigga!"

Sevynrolledhereyes."I’mnotinthemoodforaworkout."She buried her face deeper into the pillows, ready to hang up.

Then— BAM.

Her bedroom door burst open. Sevyn damn near jumped out of her skin, her heart pounding as she shot up in bed.

"Getyourassup."Dorianstoodinthedoorway,armscrossed, Harper right behind her.

Sevyn’s eyes widened. "How the hell did y’all get past security?!" Dorian smirked. "You forgot I’m on your emergency contact list?" Sevyn groaned, annoyed at her past self for making that decision. "Getup,girl!"Harperstrodeforward,grippingthecoversand yanking them back.

Sevyn screamed, clutching the sheets against her chest. "STOP! I’m naked!"

Harper rolled her eyes but let go. "Well, get your ass up and put some clothes on. You’re working this little funk out. We’ll be downstairs."

Harper walked out, but Dorian stayed behind, her eyes narrowing as she took in Sevyn’s exhausted, tear-stained face.

Her voice was calm, but there was an edge of steel beneath it. "Braxton’shoe-ass—norAriel’strifling-ass—isworththismuch energy."

Sevyn swallowed hard, staring at her cousin.

"I know you hurt right now. But fuck both of them." Dorian’s voice softened slightly. "Start putting you first again."

She didn’t wait for a response. Didn’t need one. She simply turned on her heel and walked out, leaving Sevyn sitting in the bed, clutching her sheets, feeling the weight of her words settle deep in her chest.

Sevyn let out a long, exhausted breath, sinking back into her pillows. She knew she didn’t have a choice.

Harper and Dorian weren’t playing with her.

Dragging her out of bed was one thing, but if she didn’t get up on her own, they’d make it their mission to physically throw her ass into workout clothes and haul her out the door.

And she didn’t have the energy to fight them. With a heavy sigh, she forced herself up, her body moving like it carried a thousand pounds of heartbreak with every step.

She shuffled into the bathroom, turning on the lights and staring at herself in the mirror. The woman looking back at her didn’t feel like her. Her eyes were dull, rimmed with exhaustion, holding onto a sadness she couldn’t shake. She didn’t know love could hurt this bad.

Didn’t know betrayal could feel like being gutted, left bleeding with no way to stop it.

She had given everything to Braxton. Every part of her—her trust, her love, her vulnerability—and he had taken it for granted. Thrown it away like it was nothing.

And Ariel? She didn’t even have the words for that kind of betrayal.

Harper and Dorian had been relentless in trying to pull her out of this darkness, doing everything in their power to make her forget.

The drinking. The club nights. The constant distractions.

But none of it helped. No amount of music, alcohol, or forced laughter could drown out the ache inside her.

She felt hollow.

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