Page 33 of Into the Woods

But I knew what she wasn’t saying.

Because of him.

“This is what I want, Maddie,” I insisted. Maybe if I said it enough, I’d believe it.

Sighing, my bestie relented. “Okay. Whatever makes you happy, B.”

I forced a smile and turned my attention back to my missing shoes.

“Have you talked to Cami?” Maddie asked.

My gut tightened into a ball of unease. “Not really.” After the night at the club, I’d tried talking to her about Alex, but she’d brushed off my concerns and said he’d had a rough day. Then she’d been busy with her dance rehearsals. We’d texted, but I was hoping we’d be able to actually sit down and talk about the not-awesome vibes I’d gotten from her boyfriend.

“Sorry,” Maddie murmured, looking sympathetic. “I know you and Cami are really close.”

“Mads, I swear he ticks every single box for an abusive boyfriend,” I told her, my heart sinking. “The way he treats her like an object, the way she defers to him? I mean, he got mad, and she acted like it was all her fault.”

“Want me to have Ash look into him?” she offered. Ash was one of the best hackers we knew. If there was dirt on Alex, Ash would find it.

I wasn’t ready to go there.

Yet.

“Let’s keep Ash on the back burner,” I replied. “Cami and I are supposed to hang out tomorrow. Alex has a thing with his dad.” I ground my teeth, annoyed that my brilliant, talented cousin didn’t see the red flags that I did.

“Good luck,” Maddie said, genuinely meaning it.

My gaze swept the length of my room once more, and I spotted the tip of a shoe by the bathroom door, under a gauzy skirt. I darted over and unearthed the heels from where they’d been abandoned.

“Gotcha,” I proclaimed, slipping them on my feet. Owning a pair of heels that made my legs look insanely good while also being comfortable enough to wear for hours was like finding a unicorn dipped in fairy dust.

I crossed back to my desk to finish talking to Maddie as someone knocked at my door.

“Miss Rebecca? Your friend has arrived,” announced the voice of Yvette, the house manager who had been with my grandparents since before I’d been born. She was practically a second grandmother to me.

Butterflies erupted in my belly, and I pressed a hand against my stomach. “Thank you, Yvette. Please tell him I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Once I heard Yvette walk away, I turned to Maddie.

The butterflies morphed into a flock of crows, pecking at my insides and leaving me a ball of raw nerves. “He’s here.”

Maddie frowned, a deep crease forming between her eyes. “Bex, you know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, right?”

“I know that.” I bristled at the implication, even if it rang a little true. “I want this.” I quickly ripped off my outfit and grabbed a fitted navy blue dress with a boat neck and lace sleeves. I took off the pearls and grabbed a pair of diamond studs.

She sighed softly. “Then I hope it’s everything you’re dreaming of. But, Bex?”

I held my breath, waiting for her to finish.

“If he doesn’t treat you like the princess you are, Linc won’t even have enough pieces left to bury by the time I finish with him,” she told me, dead-ass serious.

I couldn’t help but laugh and smile. “I miss you, Mads.”

“Back at ya,” she replied with a grin. “Have fun, okay?”

I nodded and ended the video chat, then ran my hands down the dress, trying to smooth away my nerves like invisible wrinkles. Tonight was going to be fun. This was exactly what I was supposed to want.

But is it what you need?

I blinked at my reflection in the mirror over my vanity, the quiet question making my heart sink into my stomach. Until a knock at the door drew my attention away. “Come in.”

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