Chapter 2

I waited until the call ended, my heart a stone in my chest.

"Casey," I said, my voice hoarse. "We need to talk about Daisy's room."

She barely looked up from her laptop. "Oh, right. I was thinking of clearing it out this weekend. Make it a home office. I need a change of scenery."

A home office. Where Daisy laughed, played, slept.

My hands clenched. I didn't say anything. I couldn't.

Instead, I went to Daisy's room. Her scent still lingered on her stuffed bear, her bright drawings still taped to the wall.

I carefully packed her most cherished things – her worn copy of "The Velveteen Rabbit," a box of colorful rocks she called her "gems," the little clay bird we made together.

I took them to the small workshop behind my parents' modest house. It was our place, mine and Daisy's. We' d spent hours there, me tinkering with brewing equipment, her drawing or "helping."

When I got back to the Thorne mansion, his car was in the driveway. Ethan Holloway.

He was in the living room, lounging on the sofa, a drink in his hand. Casey was laughing, leaning towards him, more animated than I' d seen her in years.

She was wearing a new dress, something bright. It felt like a slap in the face.

They looked up as I walked in, my face grim.

Casey' s smile faltered for a second. "Alex. You're back."

Ethan just smirked.