Chapter 4

I was spaced out for a while before finally walking out of the police station.

The night breeze hit me head-on, icy enough to make me shiver.

I stood on the steps, looking up at the sky.

There wasn't a single star in the sky, but a lonely crescent moon hanging out there.

Then, I heard Lucas at the door, yelling his head off. "Edward, you're already here at the station. Can't you give me a ride?"

He tried to play the brother card. "Come on, my dear brother, the dorm's locked up for the night. I can't get back in. Let me stay at your place tonight, okay? I don't want to go home. Have your driver drop me off at school tomorrow morning, alright?"

Edward's face was cold. "You can stay, but you're taking a cab."

Lucas's eyes went wide. "Edward, you're my brother. Why do I have to take a cab? Can't you give me a ride?"

Edward ignored him, but out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to notice me.

He walked straight over to me, his voice softening a bit. "Sophie, it's late, and it's hard to get a cab around here. Let me give you a ride home."

Behind him, Lucas was so shocked that he couldn't get a word out, his eyes darting back and forth between Edward and me.

I looked up at Edward, my feelings all tangled up. I couldn't tell what I was feeling anymore.

There were barely a few feet between us.

The streetlight hit his face at an angle, making his features look sharper.

Deep down, I still wanted to keep my distance, so I turned him down.

"No, thanks, Mr. Pierce. My bestie's here to pick me up," I said.

As soon as I finished, the honk of an electric scooter sounded from the curb.

My friend rolled up on her scooter, finally stopping right in front of the station.

She spotted me right away, hopped off, and grabbed a helmet from the basket.

Then she strode over, plopped the helmet on my head, and snapped the strap shut with a click.

She didn't bother to hide her disdain for Edward because she knew all about my history with him.

As she walked past him, she dragged out her words, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, well, which fancy family did this prince crawl out of? We ordinary people are shaking in our boots."

She shot me a look. "Sophie, we better keep our distance. Some people look all put together, but who knows what kind of skeletons they've got hiding in their closet?"

With that, she shot Edward a dramatic eye roll.

She yanked me onto the back of her scooter, and the second I was settled, we zoomed off like a rocket.

Behind us, Lucas was ranting, "Unbelievable. What's with her attitude? What kind of person acts like that? This is literally the worst day ever."

The wind whipped past my ears.

Lucas's yelling faded into the distance behind us.

I didn't say a word, but gripped the back of the scooter tightly.

My eyes stung a little, and I instinctively sniffled.

My friend caught on and teased, "Sophie, don't tell me you're about to cry. Never mind. If you're really feeling it, lean on my back."

I hesitated and then slowly pressed my forehead against her back.

I wasn't crying.

It was just that the night wind was really strong.

*****

By the time I got home, it was almost midnight.

I carefully opened the door and found my mom sitting on the couch.

She was clearly waiting for me.

Thinking about everything that had happened tonight, I pretended to be casual as I asked, "Mom, why are you still up?"

When Mom saw me come in, her frown finally eased, and she gave me a once-over. "Sophie, why are you home so late? Your eyes look a little red. Did you cry?"

I waved it off, trying to look chill, and plopped down next to her with a big grin. "I'm feeling good today, so I ended up drinking a lot with my coworkers."

I leaned in closer, joking, "Here, take a whiff. Don't I smell like booze?"

Mom looked puzzled. "But you only drink that much when you're upset. Did something happen? Or did you bump into someone?"

My heart skipped a beat, but I kept a straight face. "There's no way I ran into anyone."

Mom said, her voice low and knowing, "I never said who."

I was at a loss for words.

She sighed, her voice gentler. "Sophie, I won't interfere with your relationships, as long as it's not Edward. Back then, he made you—"

She paused as if she realized she shouldn't go on.

"Forget it. Let's not talk about him. I don't want to see you hurting like that again," she murmured.

My nose stung, but I forced a smile. "Mom, don't worry. Right now, all I care about is work. I'm not thinking about anything else."

Mom looked at me, her eyes conflicted. She looked like she wanted to say something.

But in the end, she sighed and didn't say anything.

The truth was that I knew what Mom wanted to say.

She was thinking about three years ago.

So, what had happened at that time?