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I hadn’t forgotten about Arden, of course, or the grenade my father had launched into my life. I just convinced myself there was a solution and that I’d find it.

But maybe it shouldn’t have been a total surprise that on Thursday evening, when I was lying fucked-out and cum-drunk on Vaughn’s bed fifteen minutes after he left for Nashville, the grenade exploded.

“Bett, open up. It’s me,” Arden called through the door.

“Yeah, gimme a minute,” I called.

I stumbled up and pulled on clothes. Then I grabbed my phone and wallet, slipped on my shoes, pulled on one of Vaughn’s hoodies, and stepped into the hall.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Not great.”

Arden truly did look awful. A still-puffy face and dark smudges under her eyes. Pale skin and hair pulled back in a simple ponytail.

So much for the whole glowing thing pregnant women are supposed to have. Maybe that didn’t kick in till later?

Either way, I felt terrible. She was in this predicament because my father was a dangerous, controlling man.

“I need to talk to you,” she said. “Privately.”

“Uh. My room’s kind of a mess.” I closed the door behind me. I didn’t want to take the chance of her seeing what was inside. The giant bottle of lube. The fact that my bed was really only a sex platform at this point. The new normal of my water bottle and phone charger living on Vaughn’s bedside table and some of our clothes in each other’s closets. “Can we talk in the dining hall?”

The closest dining hall was known for having plenty of booths for studying, so we’d be able to have a private conversation there.

She hesitated for a moment, biting her lip, before relenting. “Sure.”

Once we settled into a booth, her with a glass of lemonade and a strangely large plate of green beans, and me with a grilled chicken sandwich and bowl of fruit, she leaned toward me. “Do not look around, okay?”

Tension shot through me, cranking my spine straighter before her words sank in. Then it was torture not to look around. “What’s going on?”

Was someone looking at us? Whispering and pointing, wondering if we were back together? Were there already rumors about Arden’s pregnancy? Had she told⁠—?

“I think I’m being followed. Do not look.” She disguised her words with a huge, fake smile so bizarrely incongruous to what she was saying, it kept me from swiveling my head around.

“Followed by who?” I asked, trying to speak like a ventriloquist.

“Stop acting weird. You know who. One of your dad’s security goons.”

I nodded slowly and forced myself to eat my dinner as if she hadn’t just dropped some serious shit on me.

It felt like I’d been plucked out of a warm bed—Vaughn’s warm bed—and dropped in ice water. Not because it was a shock that my father was using his goons to intimidate Arden, but because I’d suspected all along that he might, and I’d still let myself drift in a happy bubble with Vaughn for days like the problem might sort itself out.

Now the bubble had popped, and I was firmly back in reality.

A reality where Arden and I knew a secret that was way too big a risk for my father to allow out of his control.

Even if he thought Arden was convincing me to go along with his plan, he’d want to keep an eye on things just to be sure. And if he thought there was a chance we might not fall in line…

“Arden,” I began, talking as softly as I could without looking suspicious. “We talked about you laying low, but maybe you should leave campus. At least until after the election.”

She pressed her lips together and then forced herself to chuckle as if we were sharing funny stories. “I know. I already talked to my professors about doing some virtual work. I told them I had an opportunity related to the campaign, but it involved some travel over the next couple of weeks. I was thinking if I could rent an Airbnb or something until after the election and just… disappear for a while, maybe I’d be able to get some freaking sleep. The problem is⁠—”

I waited, focused on my plate, but when she didn’t continue, I glanced up to find her eyes filled with tears.

I took her hand. “Hey. Hey. It’s gonna be okay.”

She shook her head and quickly covered the tears with a wide smile. “It’s not, but thanks for saying that anyway.”