Dad placed a palm on my shoulder, and his fingers curled, gouging bone as I tried to inch away. “I had hoped marrying Lucas would help you move past your unhealthy fixation with your brother.”

My mouth hung open. “My fixation with him? Are you crazy?”

He was twisting everything around, making me look like I was the one with the problem. Just the crazy daughter who’d come too close to repeating the same suicide attempt as her loony mother. He would always protect Zach. Always. Even if it meant I got trampled in the process. I bit my lip to hold back tears and finally let go of the hope he’d someday love me like he did Zach.

I clenched my hands. “You can lie to society,” I said, proud at the strength in my tone. “Even make the media do your bidding, but you can’t lie to me. Zach kidnapped me, he raped me, and he faked my death. I’ve been his prisoner for weeks.” At his unchanging expression, the familiar pang of rejection tore through me. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure he rots in jail for it. I was only thirteen when it started.” I’d wanted to tell him for so long and now that the words were out there, dirtying the air with their horror, I felt the weight lift from my chest.

I had someone else to cover for. Someone who deserved it. Rafe deserved a full exoneration, and if stepping so close to death had brought anything to light, it was him. He might have done some very sick and questionable things to me, but he’d had eight years of his own hell haunting him, driving him to seek what he’d believed was due retribution. In some sane crevice of my mind I understood I was justifying what he’d done, making excuses because I loved him. If I had an unhealthy fixation on anyone, it was Rafe Mason.

My father leaned forward and pierced me with the same hazel-eyed stare as Zach, though his held a shrewdness his son’s lacked. “Since we’re being so candid, let me make something perfectly clear, Alexandra. I love you. I’ve always loved you like a daughter. But you and I both know Zach didn’t sink your car into the river.”

I opened my mouth, but words failed me.

“Rafe did.” He straightened to his full height and folded his arms over his chest. The ink in his corded muscles appeared harsher than usual under the lighting. “If my son goes down for this, so does Rafe.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a bundle of envelopes I’d never planned for anyone to find, least of all my father. He tossed them next to me on the mattress. “Judging by your own words, he matters a great deal to you.”