Sunlight speared through the curtains, stabbing my retinas. I threw my arm over my eyes, reaching for Violet with my other hand and finding only cool, bare sheets. Fuck. The reek of sweat and stale whiskey reached my nose. My temples throbbed and my mouth tasted sour. Fuck.

For the first time since I was a teenager, I’d gotten drunk enough to pass out. I had a vague memory of Gage and Riley dragging me upstairs and dumping me in my bed. Of Gage telling me that if I puked I’d have to clean it up myself before they’d rolled me to my stomach and left.

At first, when she walked out, I held it together. I was so fucking arrogant. So sure she’d be back. So sure she’d answer her phone, listen to my messages and realize that I was right. Realize that I loved her and understand that was enough.

But she hadn’t.

She hadn’t answered the phone.

She hadn’t come back.

Finally, Chase had called. “Back off, man. She needs a little space. I can’t believe you fucked up this bad. You’re the one she went running to when she found out I lied to her. What the fuck did you think would happen when she caught you?”

He hung up on me, leaving his question rattling in my head.

The answer was, I hadn’t thought she’d catch me. I’d thought I’d bury LeAnne Gates so deep, Violet would never find her and eventually she’d stop wondering. That paper had been in my desk less than a day and she’d found it. Rotten fucking luck.

I’d been so sure.

So fucking arrogant.

And now she was gone.

I cracked an eyelid and peered at the clock on my bedside table. 10 AM. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept this late. It was Annalise and Riley’s wedding day and I was a hungover, miserable, bastard. I couldn’t fix the miserable part, or erase the hangover, but I could get my ass out of bed and take a shower.

In the bathroom, I filled a glass with water from the tap and drained it. Swallowing two aspirin, I drank a second glass of water before stepping into a steaming hot shower. Between the water, the aspirin, and the shower, I was feeling a little more human when I finally made my way downstairs in search of food.

The dining room doors were open, conversation filtering out, but I bypassed the room and headed down the hall to my office, closing the door behind me.

I sent a quick text to Mrs. W.

In my office. Coffee and breakfast.

Back in the day, the house had been equipped with pull cords for summoning the help, and later an intercom system. Now, with the full-time staff reduced to Mrs. W, Abel, and Mr. Henried, we relied on text message. I saw the notice pop up that my text had been received, but there was no answer.

I attempted to read the paper while I waited, but I couldn’t focus on anything. I kept seeing Violet’s face as she pitched the crystal tumblers at my head, the explosion of shards around me. I always knew she had a temper. I could see that fire inside her from the beginning.

I’d never expected it to be aimed at me. Not like that. I hadn’t been afraid when she’d been angry. She could throw whatever she wanted. She could rage, she could yell. I didn’t get scared until she went blank and quiet. I could take her fire. As long as she didn’t lock me out.

That’s where I was now. Firmly locked out. She wouldn’t take my calls. She wouldn’t see me. I knew from Gage that she and Chase had gone to see LeAnne Gates. I’d wanted to spare her that. To spare her that woman and her cruel laugh, the way she dismissed Violet as just another job, had complained that Violet’s eyes, those unforgettable twilight eyes, had cost her so much money.

LeAnne Gates was crass and greedy and nothing about her had anything to do with Violet. They might have looked alike, but that meant nothing.

Violet was good, and clean, and honest. She hid so much, worked so hard to protect herself, but I knew what was in her heart. I’d wanted her the second I saw her. Then she intrigued me, so coolly contained, so daring.

When I realized what she’d done for her brother, saw the way she loved, so fierce and so strong, I’d wanted her to love me like that. I wanted all that fiery determination, that loyalty, that devotion. And for such a short time, I’d had it. Then I’d fucked it all up.

Knuckles rapped on my office door. It opened to reveal Mrs. W, carrying a tray. She set it down on my desk and left without sparing me a word. She hadn’t spoken to me since she’d confiscated Violet’s keys and helped her escape Winters House.

I looked at the tray and sighed. Cold coffee and even colder oatmeal. Not a biscuit or slice of bacon in sight. This wasn’t the first time I’d been treated to the cold shoulder à la Mrs. W. I’d be eating cold oatmeal until I fixed things with Violet.

I lifted my spoon and dug into my penance. I hated oatmeal, but I needed food if I was going to muscle past this hangover. I’d worked my way through half the bowl when the door opened again. Charlie peeked her head in, then shoved the door open with her shoulder.

“This didn’t come from me,” she said, lifting a travel mug of steaming coffee and a linen-covered basket that smelled like yeast and butter and country ham. Annalise followed her in, still holding her coffee. Charlie set the travel mug and basket in front of me, and both of them made themselves comfortable in the armchairs opposite my desk.

Annalise took a sip of coffee, swallowed, and said, “You look like hell. We’re sticking you in the back of the wedding pictures.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, knowing I wouldn’t.

“Hmph,” was her response. She took another slug of coffee and sent Charlie a pointed look.

“Aren’t you going to go fix this?” Charlie demanded.

“She isn’t speaking to me,” I said, avoiding Charlie’s eyes. I pulled the napkin off the basket in front of me to reveal a scrambled egg, ham, and cheese biscuit sandwich. With a grateful sigh, I picked it up and took a bite. Charlie’s annoyed voice broke through the first decent moment I’d had in the last two days.

“Seriously? The great Aiden Winters is going to give up because Violet won’t answer her phone? If that’s all you’ve got, you don’t deserve her.”

“I never thought I’d say this, but I’m not sure he does,” Annalise cut in.

I swallowed, washing down the biscuit with a gulp of scalding coffee. “Thanks for the loyalty.”

“You know, it’s not easy being female in this family,” Annalise said. “Charlie and I know how Violet feels. I would have thought you’d learned your lesson.”

“Gage always says you don’t make the same mistake twice, but you keep making this one over and over.” Charlie eyed the silver tray that usually held my whiskey service, now bare except for the empty decanter. “Does she know she smashed over ten thousand dollars worth of crystal?”

“Ha!” Annalise almost spit out her coffee. “I’m not telling her. She’ll freak. And he deserves it.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have forgiven him so easily,” Charlie commented. “Maybe it just made him think he can keep getting away with it.”

Annalise gave me a speculative look before turning to Charlie. “You might be right.”

“I know I messed up,” I said.

“Do you? Do you really? Are you sorry you lied to her? Or are you sorry you got caught?” Charlie’s eyes were narrowed and her cheeks flushed. Charlie in a temper could be awe-inspiring.

I thought about my answer and then settled for the truth. Given the mess I was in, the truth seemed safest, even if it pissed her off.

“Both, okay? I’m sorry I got caught, but I’m more sorry I lied.”

“Do you know where you really fucked up?” Charlie asked, watching me with a speculative look. “You let her face one of the most important moments in her life without you. You had to set the terms, you tried to keep her away, and instead, she went without you, knowing the man she loves wasn’t at her side. That’s where you fucked up.”

My appetite gone, I set the rest of my breakfast back in the basket. Sick realization washed over me. I’d tried so hard to maneuver her where I wanted her and instead, I’d forced her to face that woman alone. It didn’t matter that Chase had been with her, or that he was the only man I trusted to watch out for her the way I would.

All that mattered was that I’d driven her away when she’d needed me.

“She’s not going to let you control her.” Annalise’s voice was gentle. “You know that, don’t you? Don’t even bother going after her if you think you can just sweep this under the rug and do it again the next time she has plans you don’t like. Trust me. I’ve learned the hard way. Lying doesn’t work, even when you think it’s for the other person’s good. Even when you think you’re keeping them safe. Lies aren’t the answer.”

I stared into my steaming coffee, absorbing Annalise’s words. If anyone knew about lies and love and doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, it was Annalise.

She and Riley had lost over a decade because they’d both lied, each thinking they were protecting the other. I’d been there in the middle, lying to both of them for the same reason.

It was a miracle they’d found one another again, but falling in love for the second time—that had nothing to do with luck. Annalise and Riley made it work because they’d refused to let go. Watching them, I’d learned love on its own wasn’t enough. You had to be willing to dig deep, to do the hard work, to take risks. I should have known, and instead, I’d still messed up with Violet.

“You have to figure this out, Aiden. What about when you have kids?” Charlie pushed. “They’re going to fall down. They’re going to make mistakes. They’re going to fail, and get their hearts broken. You won’t be able to protect them from that any more than you could protect us from the same thing.”

“You don’t know what it’s like,” I said. “You don’t know how helpless it makes you feel, to see someone you love struggling, hurting, and not be able to help.”

“Not the way you mean,” she agreed. “But I know it was hard getting all of us dumped on you when you were only twenty. Going from being a college student to a parent when you were still grieving Mom and Dad. I don’t know how you did it. And I don’t want to think about what it would have been like for me, for any of us, if you hadn’t stepped up the way you did. You were always there. Always. But you need to let go a little. You can’t control everything. And if you try to control her, you’ll lose her forever.”

Annalise stood and tapped Charlie on the back of the shoulder. At the signal, Charlie got to her feet. “I love you, Aid. Go fix this.”

Annalise grabbed the basket and napkin. “Don’t want to leave the evidence,” she said. “I’m not getting on Mrs. W’s bad side, even if it is my wedding day.” She leaned over my desk and kissed my cheek. “Go get Violet and bring her home. And be back in time for the wedding or I’ll kill you.”