Chapter 1 The Passenger Seat

The rain had stopped somewhere outside Knoxville, but the sky stayed heavy, the kind of gray that makes the whole world look like it's holding its breath. Fog gathered low in the trees, soft and slow, curling like cigarette smoke as they drove up the Blue Ridge.

Aria sat in the passenger seat of Jace Callahan's black BMW, her hands folded in her lap, pretending to look out the window. She didn't need to see the road. She knew it by heart. They'd driven this way more times than she could count-weekends at the lake, late-night escapes from school, the time Jace got into it with his mom and needed to disappear for a few days. Aria was always the one he called.

But this trip wasn't an escape. Not really.

Not when he was driving straight into the past and dragging her with him.

Jace shifted in his seat, one hand on the wheel, the other gripping a Red Bull. His jaw clenched and unclenched, the muscle ticking every time he swallowed. His hair was messy in a way that somehow still looked good-he hadn't shaved in days. Aria wondered if it was intentional. Probably not. Jace didn't do calculated. He did chaos.

"She said she still loved me," he muttered, not for the first time. "Two months ago. Sitting in my apartment, wearing my hoodie, eating cereal out of the box. And now she's engaged?"

Aria didn't look at him. "Maybe she changed her mind."

"Bullshit," Jace snapped. "Blair doesn't change her mind. She does things to piss me off."

"She's not thinking about you that much," Aria said softly.

Silence. Then, "Wow. Thanks."

She turned from the window, met his eyes. "I mean it. Not like that. I just-maybe she's moving on. That's allowed."

"She said she still loved me."

"You said you were done with her," Aria said. Her voice was too even. That was the problem-she always sounded like she meant it when she lied.

Jace shook his head. "That doesn't mean I stopped loving her."

The words hit harder than they should have.

But of course he still loved Blair Donovan. Of course he did. Jace had never known how to let things go-especially not things that hurt him.

Especially not her.

Aria's chest tightened, but she kept her expression neutral. She'd practiced that look for years. The one that said, I'm fine. I'm always fine.

"She's marrying Carter Hale," Jace said after a moment. "Carter fucking Hale. You know he used to carry his lacrosse stick into class like he thought it made him interesting? What a jackass."

Aria smiled faintly. "He's a hedge fund guy now, right?"

"He's a Ken doll with a Rolex. I swear to God, she's doing this to punish me."

Aria didn't answer. There wasn't anything she could say that wouldn't break something.

She watched the road instead. The car dipped through a bend in the mountains. She caught a flash of mist hanging over the trees, light slanting like a blade through the clouds. If she were alone, she would've pulled out her camera. Captured the quiet. The mood. The loneliness of it.

But Jace wouldn't get it. He never really saw the things she saw.

"Hey," he said suddenly, his voice dropping, softening. "Thanks for coming with me. I know it's a weird weekend."

"You mean showing up to your mom's house to crash your ex's engagement party?" Aria raised an eyebrow. "Totally normal."

He grinned-brief, crooked, familiar. That look used to undo her. "You always make it better."

"Is that what I'm doing?" she said lightly.

"You're my ride or die," he said. "You know that."

Her heart beat once, loud and stupid.

She smiled anyway. "Yeah. I know."

He reached across the console and gave her wrist a quick squeeze. It was nothing, probably. But her skin burned under his touch. She wanted to pull away. She didn't.

The Callahan estate came into view around the next bend-stone and glass, sprawling across the hillside like something out of a magazine. All sharp angles and cold wealth. The kind of house that was beautiful and unwelcoming at the same time.

Jace whistled under his breath. "Still looks like a damn fortress."

Aria stared up at it as they pulled into the circular drive. The windows were black against the sky, reflecting nothing. The house looked empty, but she knew better.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out into the chilled mountain air.

The place hadn't changed. Neither had the way it made her feel-like someone who didn't belong.

Jace grabbed their bags from the trunk. "You want upstairs or downstairs? The downstairs guest wing is bigger, but I figured you'd want some space."

"Upstairs is fine," Aria said.

He nodded. "Cool. I'll take you up, then go say hi to the monster."

Aria hesitated. "Your mom doesn't know I'm coming, does she?"

He winced. "Nope. But she's not the one I care about."

She followed him up the steps. The front doors opened before they reached them.

And there he was.

Not Jace. Not the mother.

The brother.

Killian Callahan stood in the foyer like a black chess piece, all clean lines and cold posture. His shirt sleeves were rolled, his jaw sharp, his tie hanging undone like he didn't care how formal he was supposed to be.

He didn't smile.

"Jace," he said. Then, looking at Aria, "You brought someone."

"Aria," Jace said, suddenly a little more guarded. "From college."

"I remember," Killian said, though his voice didn't betray whether he meant it. He studied her like she'd arrived with a gun in her purse.

"Just for the weekend," Jace added quickly.

Killian didn't look at his brother. He looked at Aria and tilted his head. "Is that what they told you?"

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

His mouth twitched, but it wasn't a smile.

Then he turned and walked away, leaving the air colder than it had been when they got out of the car.

Aria stood frozen for a second.

"Don't mind him," Jace said behind her. "That's just his warm and fuzzy personality."

But Aria didn't respond.

Because Killian hadn't just looked at her.

He'd looked through her.

And something in her gut told her he already knew she wasn't just here for the weekend.

She wasn't sure what that meant.

But she was suddenly very sure of one thing:

She should have said no.