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“I have a motel room for the rest of the week,” my mom said. “It’ll last us until we get ready to move to New York and Cici is back in school.”

I nodded. I wasn’t going to New York anytime soon, but now wasn’t the time to argue about that. A motel would be fine for today, until I figured out a plan.

“There’s the doctor,” my mother announced, already back up and fussing. “Hopefully he’ll discharge you early and we can get out of here. I’ve had enough of trespassing on the Sinclairs’ generosity.”

The motel was depressing after the Sinclair house, but I’d stayed in worse. My mood was remarkably resilient after the experience with Nick. I really was stronger than I’d given myself credit for. More than that, the whole thing had been oddly healing. I’d fought back; I’d changed the narrative. I’d taken control. For a year, I hadn’t had any control. It had been buried in the ground with Trent when he’d died.

But in Nick’s family cabin in the woods, I’d been able to rewrite my story. I felt stronger than I ever had before. I’d watched a documentary on Japanese pottery in the hospital, while desperately trying not to obsess over Brody and his silence.Kintsugiwas the art of repairing broken pottery with gold. The finished pieces were more beautiful than an unflawed, unbroken one. Glittering gold filled the cracks and made it stronger.

So, a broken but reformed piece was stronger than one that had never been tested.

I felt like a piece of formerly broken china, now veined with gold. Stronger than ever before.

I sat on the couch in the motel room while Cici and my mom unpacked a few things. I was so grateful that Cici would soon be going back to school and wouldn’t have to endure the fallout once the media got wind of my mom and John’s quickie divorce due to infidelity. My silent phone mocked me from the table.

“I think I’m going to go for a walk,” I told my mom and Cici, getting up and grabbing the crutch I’d been walking with to take the pressure off my foot.

“You’ve got a sore foot, why are you walking?” my mom demanded.

I didn’t know how to explain to her that while I knew we’d get through this, and while I was going to sleep better at night than I had in a year, my heart was slowly breaking.

Every day that Brody didn’t come and tell me what the hell was going on, my faith slipped a little, even though I tried not to let it.

“I just need some air.”

I took myself outside. The motel wasn’t far from the middle of town. I limped along Main Street, greeting people I knew here and there. Hade Harbor felt different knowing that both Preston brothers were in the hospital and awaiting trial.

It was early evening, and the sidewalk was bustling. Shops spilled out their warmth and light into the darkening day, and cars passed leisurely along the street. That was, until one screeched to a loud stop right beside me.

I glanced at the road, attention drawn by the squealing of brakes.

It was Brody’s car.

Nerves flashed through me, edged with anticipation. Finally, I could hear from the man himself what the hell was going on.

He jumped out of the car and slammed the door hard, barely having pulled over properly.

The car behind Brody honked, seeing as they had to mount the sidewalk to get past him, but he ignored them. He was back to the haughty, arrogant prince who didn’t bother to give peasants a second glance.

“Move your car, it’s blocking the road,” I said, folding my arms over my chest as well as I could while holding a crutch. “Retirement home chic” was a look, right?

“They can get around,” he snapped.

“No, they can’t.”

“Then their cars are too damn big. Where the hell have you been?” he demanded hotly.

I stared up at him. God, he was a sight for sore eyes. I’d missed the asshole so much, but I’d be damned if I let him know it.

“The hospital, did you forget?”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t be smart with me. You managed to get discharged early and yet never came home.”

“Home? What home are you referring to?” I wondered.

A muscle ticked in Brody’s jaw. “You know which one. Our home,” he stated flatly.

I stared at him before laughing. “I don’t know what to say to that. You clearly didn’t want it to be our home forever, seeing as you went out of your way to make sure our parents got divorced.”