Page 121 of Unraveling Rain
“I have no fucking clue. Dennis said he wants to speak with me in person. Part of me wants to meet with him just to tell him off. To finally say everything I’ve carried for years—and maybe even punch him in the face. Twice. But the other big part of me wants to ignore him. Pretend he never reached out. Let it die, and keep moving forward.”
Ruin stares at me, her jaw tight, eyes twitching—her tell when she’s furious but trying to keep it together.
“Tell him you’ll meet him,” she says evenly. “And I’ll go instead. I’ll hit him harder than River did. And if he sues me, Gio will take care of him.”
Despite myself, I laugh. It bursts out of me—deep, cracked around edges like it hasn’t had space to exist in days.
My sister wouldn’t kill a fly, even if her life depended on it. But I love how fiercely protective she is of those she loves.
“Ruin, you can’t just—”
“Icanand Iwill,” she growls, her voice shaking with fury. Her eyes are blazing now, glassy with unshed tears, but hard with conviction. “He doesn’t get to come back into your life and stir shit up after what he did.”
Her hand trembles as she presses it to her chest, then clenches it into a fist like she’s physically holding herselftogether. “You owe him nothing. Not closure. Not grace.Nothing.”
She grabs my hands and squeezes them tight.
We’re both laughing and crying now. It’s the strange, cathartic release that only sisters—only twins—share.
“I don’t doubt Gio would bail you out,” I say, wiping my eyes. “But this is my fight. Not yours.”
She sighs, her fingers still wrapped around mine. “So?”
I shrug, not knowing what to say.
“Are you telling Xander?”
“Absolutely not.” I shake my head. “Maybe I’ll just block Dennis and move on. I don’t want to drag Xander into this. He needs to focus.”
Ruin gives me a soft smile, but I see it—the flicker of worry in her eyes.
“Maybe don’t block him just yet,” she says gently. “If he continues to contact you, we can go to the police and file a no-contact order.”
I raise an eyebrow as she takes out her phone, typing something quickly.
“Here.” She scrolls, then reads, “Civil no-contact orders apply to situations where there is stalking or nonconsensual sexual conduct.” She looks at me as she continues reading. “It says that the contact has to be more than one time to be considered stalking. If he does it again, we act.”
I nod slowly. “Okay, yeah. That sounds like a plan.”
We fall into another hug, and I rest my head on her shoulder, letting her warmth sink into my skin.
“I’m so sorry, Raindrop,” she whispers, voice thick. “No one should go through what you did. Especially not you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when it happened, or to help prevent it.”
Tears slip silently down my face, and I don’t fight them. I knew some part of me would never heal until I shared this with her.
“I know it’s hard to relive this part of your life,” she continues, “so I won’t push. But I love you, always. And I’m here. Every damn time.”
I reach out and wipe the tears from her cheeks. She gives me a small, grateful smile through it.
“I know this is your decision, but I think you need to tell Xander. Sooner rather than later. I cannot imagine my life without sharing everything with Gio. It would eat me alive.”
I raise a brow.
She chuckles. “Of course I won’t tell him any of this. I promise.”
“I’ll try to find a good time,” I say. “But I just don’t want to interfere with his game.”
I try to believe it—that I’m doing this for him. That this is the right call.
