My name bounces throughout the woods, like a twisted game of hide and seek, as I reach the wall of earth, sitting up and leaning my back against it. I tuck my knees to my chest, hoping I’ve concealed myself enough, straining to listen for any sounds of nearby life. My fall was loud, but I don’t know where anyone is. Noise is distorted here, coming from all directions, and my muddled brain can’t make sense of it.

A loud thud causes me to flinch, and Zoe appears in front of me.

She straightens up, her hair mussed, a couple of leaves tangled among the blond. “There you are.”

I struggle to take in a breath, inching away. The blade in her hand catches the light, and she walks leisurely, as if she’s in no rush to finish.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask, pleading. If I keep her distracted, it could give me time to think of a plan.

“Because you left me no choice!” she reiterates, the words teetering into hysteria. “You were going to destroy my life. My family. My reputation.”

I continue to back up inconspicuously, and she takes a slow step closer. I’ve never seen someone look so undone.

“Ever since we met, you’ve been evil.” Her expression becomes stormy, eyebrows drawing together. “I told you I loved him, and you slept with him! And then proceeded to flaunt your relationship in front of my face for two years.”

Damien.

“Zoe, I’m sorry—”

“Shut up!” she shouts, tension visible in her shoulders. “For once, just listen to me. You didn’t even really care about him. You cheated on him with your own sister’s boyfriend. What a vile, pathetic excuse for a human being.”

“What you did to Jacob is worse,” I counter, anger making my body rigid.

“It was necessary,” she bites back. “People like him just take up space.”

“How can you say that?”

“I don’t think you understand what would happen to me if I wasn’t the best at every single aspect of my life. I would be nothing. Jacob needed to stop taking what was mine.”

A chill courses down my spine at the callous way she talks about the boy she nearly killed. Images similar to the flashback I had before begin to resurface, and I work to ward them off. I need to concentrate.

“Anyway, I found out about your little affair,” she sneers, crossing her arms, gripping the knife tightly. “You didn’t do a very good job of hiding it. I wanted you to come clean and tell Damien, but you refused. I told you if you wouldn’t do it, I’d do it for you, and I’d tell Audrey too.