Page 98 of Heat Island
“So we’re doing this?” I ask. “For real this time?”
“For Trinity,” Matheo says.
“For all of us,” Lucas corrects.
Kyren nods, something like hope flickering in his eyes. “For whatever comes next.”
I put the car back in drive, but this time, I’m not thinking about server farms or ROI calculations. I’m thinking about Trinity waking up alone in our villa, and how we’re going to convince her that what we have together is worth fighting for.
“Let’s go evaluate this data center,” I say. “And then let’s get back to our omega.”
THIRTY-SIX
TRINITY
I checkmy phone for the fifth time in an hour, staring at the message I sent to Matheo three hours ago asking him to let me know when they get back. Still unread. The little delivered notification mocks me from the screen.
A mild anxiety hasn’t gone away all morning, but the closer we get to the start of the wedding, the more that feeling drowns out anything else.
They wouldn’t leave a note and then ditch me anyway, right?
Amelia’s snide voice cuts through my spiraling thoughts, sharp and knowing. “Trouble in paradise?”
I glance up to find her watching me in the mirror next to Holly, who is carefully applying mascara. Josie sits in the chair beside me, radiant in her white silk robe, completely absorbed in choosing between two shades of lip gloss.
“No problem.” I set my phone facedown on the vanity counter with more force than necessary.
Isabelle snorts from the other side of the bridal suite, where she’s stepping into her bridesmaid dress. “I noticed the empty seats at breakfast this morning. What happened,Trinity? Didn’t pay them enough to make it all the way to the wedding?”
Heat floods my cheeks as the comment hits its target.
“Actually—” I start, but Josie’s voice cuts through the room like a whip crack.
“Excuse me?” My sister turns in her chair, and I recognize the tone immediately. It’s the same one she used when defending her friends against playground bullies in elementary school. “What did you just say about my sister?”
Isabelle’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. “I was just?—”
“You were just being a bitch to the woman who planned your brother’s extravagant wedding at the last minute because she loves me.” Josie stands, all five-foot-two inches of her radiating pure fury. “Trinity has worked eighteen-hour days this week to make sure everything is perfect. She’s coordinated vendors, managed guest lists, and dealt with every single crisis that’s come up without a single complaint.”
Amelia tries to intervene. “Josie, we didn’t mean?—”
“Oh, you’ve meant everything you’ve ever said.” Josie’s laugh is anything but amused. “So why don’t you explain to the class why you won’t give Trinity a break?”
Amelia’s face flushes red, her composure cracking. “Fine. We remember you from college.”
The admission hits me like being dunked in cold water. All this time, they’ve been pretending not to know me when they remembered me perfectly.
“We invited you to family dinners multiple times,” Isabelle adds, her voice defensive. “You never came. Not once. You acted like Egret’s family wasn’t important enough for your precious study schedule.”
My stomach twists because they’re not entirely wrong. Iremember those invitations—formal dinners at the Mahoney estate, weekend gatherings with extended family. I always had papers to write, exams to study for, and networking events that felt more crucial to my future.
“You made it clear that your career mattered more than anything else,” Amelia continues. “Including our brother.”
“So when you showed up here acting all superior with your fancy fake pack, it just...bothered us,” Isabelle finishes weakly.
I stare at them, feeling the familiar weight of guilt settling in my chest. Maybe it wasn’t fair to place all the blame on Egret, Brendin, and Saren. Maybe I really had been too focused on building my perfect future to invest properly in our relationship.
“You’re right,” I say quietly. “I could have tried harder back then.”
