Chapter 6

Chelsea Hardy POV:

I got home drenched, my clothes plastered to my skin, hair dripping onto the polished floor. The sight of my reflection in the hallway mirror was a stark reminder of my misery – a pale, shivering ghost. I went straight to my room, stripping off my wet clothes and stepping into a scalding hot shower. The water beat down on me, washing away the cold, the dirt, and a little bit of the pain.

I didn't bother drying my hair. I just wrapped myself in a towel, crawled into bed, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, the kind of exhaustion that only comes after prolonged emotional warfare.

The next few days passed in a blur of numb efficiency. Holden and Kamryn were a constant, vibrant presence downstairs, their laughter, their clinking glasses, their whispered endearments forming the soundtrack to my silent departure. I barely saw them. I ate in my room, worked on my laptop, and meticulously organized the last remnants of my life here. The house, once filled with shared memories, now felt like a lonely hotel, and they, the boisterous, oblivious guests.

And I, the quiet, unnoticed occupant, was checking out. For good.

I didn't care where Holden went, or what Kamryn posted. My emotional thermometer had flatlined. They were simply background noise, no longer capable of piercing the protective shell I was building around my heart.

My phone buzzed. A flight reminder from my uncle Geoffrey. Flight BA0286, departing 8 AM tomorrow.

Tomorrow. The word tasted sweet, like freedom.

As I closed the app, my eyes caught a date highlighted on my phone's calendar. Holden's birthday. It was tomorrow.

A sharp, unexpected pang shot through me. For sixteen years, I had celebrated his birthday. Secretly, for years, I'd spent weeks planning the perfect gift, the perfect card, trying to capture in a small token the immense love I felt for him. Now? Now, my gift was my absence. My departure. Perhaps, I thought, a bitter smile twisting my lips, that would be the greatest gift I could ever give him. The gift of finally being truly free of me.

I pulled out my last suitcase, doing a final check. My new platinum hair, now dry, fell around my shoulders. I carefully placed my portfolio of new designs-designs that had nothing to do with him, with us-inside. These were my future. My new identity.

I still had a small box of things I couldn't bring myself to throw away, but also couldn't take with me. Old textbooks, some small, sentimental trinkets from my childhood that weren't about Holden. I gathered them up, calling a local charity. They could have them. Another small severance.

Just as I carried the box downstairs, Holden walked in, jingling his keys. He looked tired, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder.

"Chels," he said, sounding surprised to see me. "What's all this?" He gestured at the box.

"Donations," I said, keeping my voice flat. "Clearing out some clutter."

He raised an eyebrow, a familiar look of mild disapproval on his face. "You're always doing that. You know, you should learn to be more organized. Keep track of your things."

His words, once a source of comfort, now grated on my nerves. He always had to have an opinion, a critique, a way to exert his subtle control.

"I'm trying," I said, turning away to place the box by the front door.

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if I was harsh yesterday. Kamryn can be a bit... much. But you know I only want what's best for you."

I turned back to him, a hollow laugh escaping me. "Do you, Holden? Do you really?"

He looked genuinely surprised by my tone. "Of course, I do, Chels. Don't be silly. You're my sister."

Sister. The word felt like a brand. His way of putting me in my place, of drawing a line in the sand.

He checked his watch. "I'm heading out again. Early dinner with Kamryn's parents. Finalizing some things for the engagement party."

My jaw tightened. Of course. The engagement party. His new life.

A sudden, sharp impulse seized me. A last, desperate attempt for something, anything, from him. "Holden," I said, my voice softer than I intended. "It's... it's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it?"

He paused, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Oh. Yeah. I guess it is. I'd almost forgotten, with everything going on." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Why? Did you want to get me something?"

My chest ached. Every year. Every single year, I'd remembered. I'd baked him a cake, bought him a thoughtful gift, written him a heartfelt card. And he'd forgotten. Or almost.

"No," I lied, the word feeling like dust. "I just... wanted to make sure you remembered." A part of me, the pathetic, clinging part, wanted to say, This is the last time you'll see me. The last time I'll acknowledge this day. The last time you'll have me.

But I kept silent. What was the point? He wouldn't care. He wouldn't understand.

"Right," he said, a dismissive wave of his hand. "Well, I really have to go. Don't wait up." He turned, heading for the door.

"Holden!" I called out, a desperate plea.

He paused, one hand on the doorknob, his back to me. "What is it, Chels? I'm running late."

"Nothing," I whispered, the word dying on my lips. "Just... be careful."

He nodded, without turning, and was gone. The click of the lock echoed in the silent house.

My knees buckled. I sank to the floor, hot tears streaming down my face. My chest felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. He couldn't even give me that. A moment of connection. A simple glance.

I stood up, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. No more. Not one more tear for him.

I walked back to my room, a strange sense of purpose filling me. There was one last thing. I searched my desk, my drawers, even under my bed. My eyes scanned every corner. A small leather-bound sketchbook. The one he' d given me all those years ago. The one where I' d drawn him, idealized and perfect, over and over.

It was gone.

My heart sank. I remembered putting it in the suitcase I'd asked him to throw away. The one he'd so carelessly tossed into the bin. It was gone. All of it.

Then, at the very back of a dusty cupboard, almost hidden, I found it. An older sketchbook. One from when I was a child. Before Holden. Filled with childish doodles, stick figures, and brightly colored animals.

I flipped through it, a ghost of a smile touching my lips. Then, on the last few pages, there were pencil sketches. Crude, but recognizable. A young boy, with a mop of dark hair, a confident grin. Holden. From when he first moved in, my protector, my hero. He'd always told me I had a spark, even then. He' d praised my early work, told me I had an eye.

A strange thought surfaced. I had always drawn him. For him. For my love for him. Now? Now he was gone.

The last few pages were blank. A fresh start. A new canvas.

I picked up my pencils. A strange, serene calm settled over me. I would draw. But not for him. For me. For the new Chelsea.

I sketched a woman. Strong. Independent. Her hair, a defiant platinum. Her eyes, clear and focused on a distant horizon. Beside her, a man. Not Holden. Someone kind. Someone steady. Someone who saw her, truly saw her.

I drew until the sun set, the last rays of light painting my room in hues of orange and purple. The drawing was raw, imperfect, but it felt right. It felt like a promise.

The sound of Holden's car pulling into the driveway broke my trance. Then, the front door opening. Voices. Laughter. He was back. And he wasn't alone.

I heard the slur of his voice. He was drunk.

"Chels?" his voice slurred from the hallway. "You up, sis?"

A tremor went through me. I didn't want to see him like this. Not now.

But before I could hide, he was at my door, leaning heavily against the frame. His eyes, usually so sharp, were glazed over, unfocused.

"Hey, Chels," he mumbled, a lopsided grin on his face. "Where's my birthday kiss?"

He stumbled towards me, his arms outstretched. My instincts screamed. Run. But I was frozen, trapped by a lifetime of habit, of always being there for him.

"Holden, you're drunk," I said, trying to push him away. The smell of alcohol was thick on his breath.

He laughed, a harsh, unfamiliar sound. And then, he grabbed me, pulling me into a suffocating embrace. His lips, rough and demanding, crashed down on mine, a clumsy, forceful kiss that tasted of whiskey and desperation.

My mind went blank. This wasn't Holden. This wasn't my protective step-brother. This was a stranger. A predator.