Great.
This isn’t uncommon for me. Once upon a time, I would’ve called that a Saturday night. But I’ve worked hard not to be that person anymore. I thought Iwasn’tthat person anymore. I thought I’d changed… maybe even grown up a little.
Yet here we are.
It’s Reid’s fault. Seeing him again threw everything off and dragged me right back into my old, destructive habits. I need to get out of here.
You’d think all this would exhaust me, but it doesn’t. My mind races, jumping from one thought to another, one memory to the next.
Reid is here.
He’s running this “wellness retreat” place, pretending he’s some kind of spiritual guru, and his business partner is a hot chef I just slept with. This is insane.
A knock on the door cuts through my thoughts.
“Coming.” I push off the bed and head for the door, assuming it’s Luke making good on his promise to bring me food.
But when I open it, the thank-you dies on my tongue.
Reid gives me a half-apologetic smile. “Luke mentioned you were hungry.”
Damn you, Luke.
I wasn’t expecting that betrayal, and it irritates me more than it should. Not that I asked him to keep Reid away from me, but still…
It’s a good reminder. The only person I can rely on is myself.
“You don’t have any food on you,” I point out, eyeing his empty hands.
“Yeah. I thought you might want to have dinner with us in the dining room.”
“You thought wrong. If I wanted to have dinner with you, I would have said so.”
“Really? That’s a shame. Bertha Lowenstein heard you were here and wanted to see you.”
My temper flares. Of course he told her. Of course he’s using her to get me there.
And the worst part? It works.
Because I find I do want to see her. Aside from anything else, I want to know what he’s done to her.
Maybe if I confront him in front of her, it’ll break whatever bullshit spell he’s woven around her.
Also, I want to see this place in action—see how he runs it, how he pulls people in. Makes them believe they’re magically being fixed.
He’s changed. The Reid I knew was restless, sharp-edged, always looking over his shoulder. Angry or amused, but never calm. Beneath it all, there was always that deep, buried pain.
We fought more than we got along. Some days I hated him. Other days he was my best friend. It was chaos—addictive, destructive, impossible to walk away from.
But this version of him? Calm. Grounded. Easy-going.
Is it real?
Or is it just a part of some kind of act?
My curiosity builds, and I hate that he can see it. A small, knowing smile appears on his face that makes me want to refuse just to wipe it off.
But I’m only here for one night. I might as well find out what’s going on. After all, that’s why I came all this way in the first place.