Chapter 1

The crystal chandeliers of the Ashworths' dining room felt like they were mocking me, their light too bright, too revealing.

My family, the Thompsons, were financial roadkill, and this dinner was supposed to be our lifeline.

A subtle matchmaking attempt by my parents, a desperate hope to bind us to one of the powerful families whose sons I grew up with.

Caleb, Leo, Julian. My supposed best friends.

The air was thick with unspoken things, with the clink of expensive silverware and the weight of my parents' anxiety.

Mr. Ashworth, Caleb' s father, cleared his throat, a signal.

"Ava, dear," Mrs. Albright, Leo' s mother, began, her smile a little too sweet, "you've grown into such a lovely young woman."

My mother beamed, a fragile, hopeful expression.

Then Caleb spoke, his voice smooth, the one that made girls swoon on the football field.

"Ava's great, always has been. Like one of the guys, you know?"

He winked, a casual dismissal that landed like a punch.

My father' s smile faltered.

Leo, ever the echo, chimed in, his artistic eyes sympathetic but firm.

"Totally. Ava's like the cool older sister I never had."

Another nail in the coffin of my parents' hopes.

Julian, always the most direct, the most serious, didn't even try to soften his blow.

He looked at me, his gaze analytical, almost cold.

"Ava is... spirited. But for a serious partner? A bit too impulsive, unfocused, I'd say."

The words hung in the air, brutal and precise.

My mother' s face crumpled slightly, my father stared at his plate.

Humiliation burned through me, hot and sharp.

They had discussed me, dissected me, and found me wanting, all before dessert was even served.

I stood up, my chair scraping against the polished floor.

Every eye was on me.

"Actually," I said, my voice surprisingly steady, "it doesn't matter what you think."

I looked at each of them, Caleb, Leo, Julian.

"Because I already have a boyfriend."

The shock on their faces was almost worth the lie.

My parents looked stunned, then a flicker of desperate hope.

Caleb' s easygoing expression tightened, a muscle jumping in his jaw.

Leo' s eyes widened, a flicker of something unreadable in their depths.

Julian just stared, his composure momentarily lost.

I didn't wait for their questions, I turned and walked out of the dining room, out of the house, the oppressive weight of their judgment lifting slightly with each step.

The cool night air hit my face.

I had no boyfriend, of course.

But in that moment, I had my pride.

A car door slammed nearby.

"Ava!"

Caleb. He grabbed my arm, not roughly, but with an undeniable possessiveness.

"Who is he?" he demanded, his campus-king charm gone, replaced by a scowl.

"What boyfriend?"