Chapter 23
I didn’t go home that night.
No one said it out loud, but it was decided the moment Lucas walked out of the study. The house felt too big after that. Too quiet in the wrong way. So I ended up at his place, in Ivy’s room, like we were kids again hiding from storms we couldn’t control.
I lay awake for a long time, staring at the ceiling. Ivy had fallen asleep curled on her side, one arm flung over a pillow, her breathing uneven. Every time she shifted, I wondered if she was dreaming or just restless like me.
My phone sat on the nightstand. Face down. Silent.
I didn’t check it. I already knew if I did, I wouldn’t sleep at all.
When I finally drifted off, it wasn’t peaceful. It was shallow, like my body never fully trusted rest.
“Elaine p>
I felt hands on my shoulders.
“Elaine. Wake up p>
I groaned and turned my face into the pillow. “Five more minutes p>
“No. You need to wake up. Right now p>
There was something in Ivy’s voice that snapped me out of it. Panic. Sharp and breathless.
I opened my eyes. The room was brighter than it should have been. Morning light spilling through the curtains. Ivy was kneeling on the bed beside me, hair a mess, phone clutched in her hand.
“What?” I asked, pushing myself up.
She didn’t answer. She just shoved the phone toward me.
My stomach dropped before I even looked.
The screen was filled with photos. Too clear. Too intentional.
Zane and me. Standing side by side outside my grandfather’s house. His hand at my back, not touching but close enough to suggest ownership. My face calm, unreadable. Headlines stamped underneath.
WHITMORE HEIR CONFIRMS ENGAGEMENT
ZANE WHITMORE TO MARRY ELAINE HARTWELL.
POWER ALLIANCE SEALED
I scrolled. My fingers felt numb.
There were more. From different angles. Different sites. Some zoomed in on my hand. Others on his face. One even circled the ring I wasn’t wearing and speculated about when I would be.
“They went up an hour ago,” Ivy said quickly. “I started getting messages. My friends asking if it was true. If it was really you p>
I swallowed. My throat felt tight. “It is me p>
Her eyes filled. “He didn’t even wait p>
Of course he didn’t.
This wasn’t an announcement. It was a declaration. He wanted to hit now before my brothers thought of something.
I sat there, staring at the screen while my thoughts raced ahead of my body. The comments were already rolling in. Speculation. Praise. Disgust. Curiosity. People dissecting my life like it was public property.
I hadn’t agreed to this public announcement.
Not yet.
Ivy crawled closer. “Elaine, this isn’t fair. He can’t just p>
“He can,” I said quietly.
She shook her head. “Lucas is going to lose it p>
I thought of my brother’s face the night before. The way he’d looked at me like he was already losing something.
“I know,” I said.
My phone buzzed in my hand.
Unknown number.
I didn’t need to guess.
I stared at it for a moment, then turned the screen off.
Ivy watched me carefully. “Aren’t you going to answer p>
“Not yet p>
Because if I did, there would be no pretending this was still something I could ease into.
Zane had moved first.
And he’d made sure the world was watching.