Chapter 1

Sierra's POV

"Jasmine's flight gets in tomorrow. She doesn't have anywhere to stay yet, so she'll be staying at the Lakeside Estate for the time being."

Tristan Webster leaned back against the car seat and loosened his tie. I turned away from the window and looked at him.

"Okay."

My calm response seemed to catch him off guard. He turned toward me and studied my face for several seconds before speaking again.

"You drove her out of the country years ago. Now that she's back, don't even think about trying anything."

His hand came up to the back of my neck, his fingers squeezing firmly.

"I don't have the energy for that anymore," I murmured, lowering my eyes.

He chuckled, apparently pleased with my answer. "That treatment center really did wonders for you. You're much more obedient now."

He pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. "For the wedding next month, I'll have Jasmine be your maid of honor. Think of it as a fresh start for the two of you."

"Okay. Whatever you think is best," I agreed, not feeling a thing.

I closed my eyes, but images of the stark white walls of the treatment center immediately came rushing back to me, along with the pills they brought to my room at the same time every day.

When we arrived at the Lakeside Estate and opened the door, I spotted a pair of women's heels in the entryway.

Jasmine Kemp was already here. She was curled up on the living room sofa watching TV, dressed in my silk pajamas.

The moment she saw us, she got to her feet. "Sorry, guys. I didn't know which slippers were for guests, so I just grabbed a random pair."

She was wearing the women's version of the matching slippers I'd had custom-made for Tristan and me. Tristan paused halfway through changing his shoes and instinctively glanced at me.

"It's fine. They're just slippers," I said evenly.

Jasmine visibly relaxed. She walked over, took Tristan's suit jacket from him, and hung it up.

"Tristan, your stomach is sensitive, so I made you some soup," she said sweetly. "It's still warm on the stove."

His voice softened immediately. "That was very thoughtful of you!"

Turning to me, he added, "You barely ate dinner either. Do you want some?"

"I'm not hungry. You guys go ahead," I replied, slipping on a spare pair of house slippers and starting up the stairs.

"Wait!" Tristan's voice rang out behind me, irritation creeping into his tone.

I paused and turned around to meet his scowl. He continued, "It's Jasmine's first day here. What's with the attitude?"

I was unfazed. "I'm not giving anyone an attitude. I'm just tired."

"Is Sierra upset that I'm here?" Jasmine bit her lower lip, looking sad. "If my stay here is making you uncomfortable, I can leave tomorrow and get a hotel."

"You're not going anywhere," Tristan cut in before I could respond.

His gaze turned cold as he looked at me. "Sierra, come down and apologize."

I stood halfway up the staircase and looked down at them without much expression.

Once, a single text from Jasmine would have been enough to send me into a three-day fight with Tristan. I'd even done something reckless and outrageous just to punish him for always taking her side.

But now, all I felt was exhaustion.

I walked back down the stairs, stopped in front of Jasmine, and bowed my head. "I'm sorry, Jasmine. Welcome to the Lakeside Estate."

She froze, clearly not expecting me to give in so easily, and even Tristan seemed caught off guard. Something complicated flickered across his eyes before he quickly hid it.

"All right. Go upstairs and get some rest." He waved me off, suddenly losing interest in the whole matter.

I turned and went back upstairs.

After taking a shower, I sat down at the vanity and pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside were my passport and a freshly printed one-way train ticket.

Destination: Anchorage, Alaska.

The departure date was the exact day of the wedding Tristan had promised me next month.

I picked up the ticket, smoothed the slightly curled edges, and carefully tucked it inside a book. Then, from downstairs, I heard the faint sound of Tristan and Jasmine laughing together.