Chapter 1Rain hammered down the day my stepbrother kicked me out.
Inside, he was screaming at his dad.
"I'm not calling some trailer-trash nobody my sister!"
"What is this, a junkyard? We just let garbage walk in?"
"Who cares if she's hot? She could strip naked in front of me and I wouldn't even LOOK."
Then he stormed out and hurled my bags into the rain.
"GET OUT, you leech!"
I looked at my mother.
Dressed head to toe in designer labels, she opened her mouth... then said nothing.
I picked up my bag and walked away.
That night I had nowhere to go. I texted the guy I'd been dating online.
[I don't have anywhere to stay tonight.]
He sent me an address immediately.
[Baby, come here. You can crash at my place.]
I followed the GPS for what felt like forever.
And when I finally looked up—
I was standing right back in front of the house I'd just been thrown out of.
...
Well. Must be wrong.
I tried again.
Five laps around the same block in the pouring rain, I gave up and texted him.
[This place is massive. I'm completely lost.]
His reply came instantly.
[Baby where are you? Are you getting soaked? Do you even have an umbrella?]
[Send me your location RIGHT NOW. I'm coming to get you.]
[God I'm such an idiot. I should've met you at the gate. I'm freaking out here.]
I ducked under an awning and dropped my soaking bags.
Wiped my phone screen with the one dry patch left on my shirt.
Just as I was about to reply—
I saw my stepbrother Soren walk out with an umbrella.
He was carrying a folding umbrella in his other hand.
Soren had changed out of his sweats into a crisp black shirt.
His hair looked freshly styled, every strand catching the light.
He was glued to his phone, smiling at the screen like I'd never seen him smile before.
The second he saw me, his face twisted with disgust.
I followed his gaze down to myself.
Shirt plastered to my skin. Bra showing through. Hair stuck to my face like seaweed.
I awkwardly swept my dripping hair back.
He scoffed. "Still here? Thought you'd be halfway back to whatever shithole you crawled out of by now."
I swallowed hard.
My mom already broke our lease.
She swore Soren wouldn't actually leave me out here. Said deep down he was a good kid.
Said if I played it right, he'd warm up to me.
"There's no apartment anymore." My voice came out small. "I don't have anywhere else."
I hesitated. Then forced it out. "Soren."
He flinched like I'd slapped him.
"FUCK. Don't say my name like that. Call me that one more time and I'll make you regret it."
"And your homeless ass is not my problem. Go sleep in a dumpster!"
I knew he hated me.
I just didn't know he hated me enough to want me dead.
Soren stared at me like I was committing a crime just by standing under his roof.
I had no choice. I dragged my soaking bags back out into the rain.
My phone wouldn't stop buzzing.
[Baby I'm outside already. Your pin says you're close.]
[I'm sharing my location. Click accept.]
[Why aren't you replying? Please tell me you're okay.]
By the time I reached the gated community entrance, I wanted to reply.
I ducked under the security pavilion awning to get out of the rain.
But my screen was too wet. I couldn't accept anything.
I looked around desperately, hoping my online boyfriend would find me soon.
Through the downpour, a tall figure approached.
He was looking around too.
My heart jumped.
The figure got closer...
Our eyes met.
It was Soren Ashford.
Chapter 2
"Just my luck running into you again."
Soren frowned in annoyance.
"I'm waiting for my friend," I said, wiping rain off my face.
Soren laughed like I'd told the world's funniest joke. "Right. What kind of friend does a broke girl like you have who lives here? Nice try."
"I'm not lying. My friend is on his way to pick me up."
I showed him the chat.
He glanced at it and sneered. "If you're gonna bullshit me, at least try harder. Your screen's dead."
"What, you're saying I'M your friend?"
He scoffed. "That's hilarious. If I were your friend, I'd jump off a ten-story building."
Ah.
I looked at my phone.
Water damage. The screen was completely black.
There was no way to explain this.
"Fine. I'll just stand at the guard station. This is public space. That's got nothing to do with you."
Soren snapped his fingers at the guards.
Two security guards stepped out.
The taller one crossed his arms. "Miss, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. This is private property."
The rain got heavier.
My vision started to blur.
I had no choice.
I walked back into the storm.
I don't remember leaving.
When I came to, I was in a hospital.
"You're finally awake?"
It was Mrs. Walsh, the housekeeper from Soren's place.
"You scared me to death. The guards called saying you collapsed in the rain. You had a fever of 105 and were out cold for a whole day. If something happened to you, how would I explain it to your mother?"
"The young master was really out of line, throwing you out in that weather. Mr. Ashford already gave him hell for it."
Mrs. Walsh kept talking while feeding me soup.
I licked my cracked lips. "Mrs. Walsh, where's my mom?"
"Your mother... After you left, she fainted. But it's nothing serious. The family doctor checked on her at home. He said she can't handle stress or it'll trigger a relapse."
My heart clenched at the mention of Mom. "You didn't tell her about me being hospitalized, did you?"
"No, no. I wouldn't dare tell her at a time like this."
"Okay, good. I'm fine. You have to keep this from her."
Mrs. Walsh nodded.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
After Mom married into the Ashford family, my situation got worse.
But my stepfather found Mom the best doctors, the best treatments.
He covered all her medical expenses.
Under his careful care, her condition miraculously improved.
We didn't have to stress about medical bills anymore.
So compared to the pain, worry, and breakdowns of the past, Soren's bullying was nothing.
"Oh, your phone got water damage. I had it fixed. I saw someone called Pup kept messaging you. You should reply."
Mrs. Walsh handed me my phone.
Only then did I remember—that night, my boyfriend was desperately trying to find me. He must be losing his mind.
Sure enough.
My phone was flooded with 99+ messages.
[Baby, why aren't you answering?]
[Baby, I can't find you. What do I do??]
...
1 AM.
[Baby, my legs are about to give out.]
5 AM.
[Please just reply to me. I'm so worried about you.]
...
I quickly sent him a message.
[I'm so sorry. Last night my phone got ruined by the rain.]
He replied instantly. [Baby you finally replied!!]
The typing indicator appeared...
Looking at his messages from the past day and night, full of worry, my nose stung.
Chapter 3
My online boyfriend, Pup, was the only thing keeping me sane.
Life with just Mom had always been hard.
Mom was too weak to work, but needed money for treatment.
We survived on welfare checks and food stamps.
To make things slightly better, I worked part-time while going to school.
I met Pup on a forum where I was looking for work.
But unlike me, he was working to escape his father's control.
I envied him a little.
I started venting to him about how hard it was to make money.
Complaining about how illness turned my mom from someone who used to laugh into someone who only knew how to worry.
The pain I had nowhere to release suddenly had an outlet.
He'd been silent for a while, then replied with one message.
[My mom used to wear this perfume that smelled like flowers.]
[She said she'd come back when they bloomed again. But they never did.]
Something clicked between us in that moment.
After we got together, he always wanted me to call him different things—baby, puppy, whatever felt right.
He said it made him feel close to me.
That's why I never wanted to use any terms of endearment with Soren.
Because I already had someone who treated me like I mattered.
But for Mom's sake, I swallowed all the humiliation Soren put me through.
Finally, after some back-and-forth between Mom and my stepfather, Soren reluctantly agreed to let me stay with Mrs. Walsh.
I was relieved.
At least I had a place to sleep.
And Mrs. Walsh was nice.
At dinner, Mom happily served me food.
"Daphne, I made this pot roast the way you like it. Try it."
Mr. Ashford looked at Mom's smiling face, clearly pleased, and kept piling food into my bowl too.
"All my life, I've wanted a daughter. Now that I'm past fifty, I finally got my wish."
As soon as he finished speaking—
Someone flipped the table.
Soren was home.
I flinched and collapsed to the floor.
Mr. Ashford was furious. "Soren, what the HELL?! Daphne still has a fever!"
Soren crossed his arms dismissively. "Good if it kills her. Like I give a damn what happens to her."
They started fighting again.
My heart pounded.
I could only message Pup to calm myself down.
[I'm so scared. My stepbrother just flipped the table and he's fighting with his dad again.]
[I'm sitting on the floor right now.]
The second I sent it, Soren's phone buzzed twice.
He glanced at his phone and stopped yelling.
Then slowly looked up at me sitting on the floor.
He froze for a few seconds.
Then reached his hand out toward me.
I instinctively turned my face away, bracing for pain.
But I waited.
And waited.
The expected blow never came.
Soren's hand hung in mid-air, his fingers curling slightly.
The air solidified like amber.
Mom covered her mouth.
Mr. Ashford panicked. "Soren, if you touch her today, don't bother coming home!"
But Soren didn't move.
He just looked at me, and slowly, the rage in his eyes peeled away, revealing an emotion I'd never seen before.
He even bent down a little.
His hand extended further.
"Get up."
I froze.
My mind was a mess.
This guy who'd just flipped a table and said I should die was now... reaching out to help me up?
I was afraid it was a trick.
He saw the doubt in my eyes and crouched down completely.
"I said get up."
The guy nearly six feet tall crouched in front of me, meeting my eyes.
"Give me your hand."
My phone was still clutched in my hand, the screen showing my chat with Pup.
