I sat in the school library, staring at the note I’d folded and unfolded at least a dozen times since the hospital. “The Cross brothers are not yours. Stay away or experience worse.” The words burned in my mind, leaving me restless, paranoid, and absolutely terrified.
I needed answers. And if Grayson and Aiden weren’t going to give me any, there was still one person I hadn’t tried yet. Asher.
I found him sitting on the windowsill in the art room, a place I’d come to notice he liked to hide when he wanted to avoid the world. He was leaning against the glass, sketching idly in a small notebook, the sunlight casting a soft glow over his dark hair.
“Asher,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
He looked up, startled, and then frowned when he saw the tension in my face. “Lila? What’s wrong?”
I walked over, clutching the note in my hand. “I need to talk to you. Now.”
He closed his sketchbook slowly, his dark eyes scanning me carefully. “What happened?”
I shoved the note into his hand. “This happened,” I said, my voice trembling.
Asher read it, his expression shifting from confusion to something darker—guilt, maybe. He looked up at me, his jaw tightening. “Where did you get this?”
“It was left for me in the hospital,” I said, crossing my arms. “And don’t try to tell me you don’t know what it means, because I’m done with the lies, Asher. If you know something, I need to know. Now.”
He hesitated, glancing toward the door like he wanted to bolt. But after a moment, he sighed and gestured for me to sit on one of the stools near him.
“Fine,” he said, his voice low. “But you’re not going to like what I have to say.”
I sat down, my heart pounding as I watched him struggle to find the words.
“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened,” Asher said finally, his voice soft but steady. “The notes, the threats—it’s happened before. With Evelyn.”
My breath caught. “What do you mean?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding my eyes. “When Evelyn started dating Grayson, things were fine at first. She was sweet, kind, didn’t pry too much into the family. But eventually, she started noticing things—things she wasn’t supposed to see. And when she started asking questions… the notes started showing up.”
I swallowed hard, my stomach churning. “What kind of things?”
“Secrets,” Asher said simply. “Things Victor didn’t want her to know. Things none of us were supposed to talk about. And when she got too close to the truth…” He trailed off, his voice breaking.
“What happened to her, Asher?” I whispered, my throat tightening.
He finally looked at me, his eyes filled with guilt. “She disappeared, Lila. One day, she was just… gone.”
I felt like the floor had dropped out from under me. “Gone? What do you mean gone? Did she leave? Was she taken?”
“We don’t know,” Asher said, his voice barely above a whisper. “All I know is that she was warned. Just like you’re being warned now. And when she didn’t listen…” He shook his head, his hands clenching into fists.
“You’re lying,” I said, though the tremor in my voice betrayed my fear. “You have to know more than that.”
Asher stood abruptly, pacing the room. “I liked her, you know,” he said, his voice strained. “Evelyn. She was good for Grayson. She kept him grounded, made him smile in ways I hadn’t seen in years. But I didn’t stop her when she started digging into things. I didn’t protect her. And when she disappeared, I…”
“You what?” I demanded, standing now too.
He turned to face me, his expression tortured. “I helped cover it up,” he admitted. “Victor didn’t want anyone asking questions, so we made it look like she left on her own. We planted a note in her dorm room, scattered some of her things to make it seem like she ran away. And then we never spoke of it again.”
I stared at him, horrified. “You… you helped him?”
“I didn’t have a choice, Lila!” he shouted, his voice echoing in the room. “You don’t understand what it’s like to live under Victor’s thumb. He controls everything—our lives, our choices. If I hadn’t done what he said, he would’ve destroyed me. Or worse.”
My hands were shaking now, my heart racing. “How can you live with yourself?”
He looked away, his shoulders slumping. “I don’t. Not really. That’s why I didn’t want you getting involved with us. I knew it would end like this. I knew you’d get hurt.”
Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “And now what? You’re just going to let Victor come after me too?”
Asher stepped closer, his eyes pleading. “I won’t let that happen, Lila. I swear. But you have to stop asking questions. You have to stop digging. If Victor thinks you’re a threat…”
“I’m already a threat, Asher,” I said bitterly. “And you’re not telling me everything. I can see it in your face.”
He froze, his jaw tightening. “If you knew the truth,” he said finally, his voice trembling, “you’d run. And I don’t want you to.”