Lewis wasn’t Lewis. He was Maxon. The real Lewis was gone, stolen from me long before I even had a chance to understand it.
I felt myself breaking in half, then in quarters, then into dust. Everything… everything I thought I knew was a lie.
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and stood up abruptly.
Maxon was finally asleep on the couch, breathing peacefully. Peacefully, when he had destroyed my entire world.
I grabbed my phone and walked out the door before I could think.
My hands were shaking as I dialed.
It rang once.
“Hello?” my mother answered, her voice thick with sleep.
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Mom,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Please take me home. I’m going to divorce my husband.”
Morning came slowly, like my body was trying to delay the moment I had to wake up and face reality. I opened my eyes, but I didn’t move. And that was when I heard it — muffled voices coming from the guest room down the hall. I recognized them instantly.
Lewis and Victoria.
My blood froze.
“…I know,” Victoria hissed, voice sharp with frustration. “I get it. You needed to use your brother’s identity to be with me. Fine. I accepted that. But shouldn’t we end this? I’m tired of sneaking around. I want to date you as Lewis, not as Maxon.”
My stomach coiled, sick and tight.
Lewis replied with a low, annoyed sigh. “Victoria, relax. I told you—we’ll fix everything at Grandma’s birthday party.”
“Fix? How?”
Lewis chuckled, the same laugh that used to make me feel safe. Now that sound curdled my insides. “We’ll frame Nadine. Make it look like she cheated on me. Grandma adores her since our families have always been close—she’d never allow a divorce unless Nadine messed up. But if she thinks Nadine betrayed me? She’ll kick her out herself.”
I covered my mouth, tears burning hot behind my eyes.
Victoria scoffed. “And Maxon? He won’t agree to any of this. He’s unpredictable. What if he ruins it?”
Lewis laughed again. “He’ll agree because he’s too stupid not to. And if he doesn’t? Then we arrange it in a way that makes him look unaware. Maybe even betrayed. That’ll break him enough to cooperate on disposing Nadine.”
My entire body trembled. I thought they had reunited as brothers. I thought they had healed.
But no.
Lewis continued, colder now. “I never made peace with Maxon. I just like using him. And Nadine.” Then, with disgustingly casual confidence: “Both of them are tools.”