She shook her head. It wasn’t like Addison could just go running to her mother with what she’d seen. Irene’s relationship with Kaden was so new and so young, like a seedling that could wither without warning. If Addison brought this news to them now, she could very well destroy the roots of something real before they ever had a chance to develop.

“Please don’t tell anyone what you saw,” Addison said.

“You’re upset.” The hurt was clear on Sylvia’s face.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Addison said.

“I’m sorry. If I’d known what was hiding in that bottle…”

“No,” Addison said. “I’m glad I know the truth.”

“I’m here if you need me,” Sylvia said. “We will fix this mess my son started… My other son, I mean, of course.”

Addison nodded as she backed toward the door. Part of her wanted to stay, but there was a lifetime of hate built up inside her against what might be her own family. This was all too much, too fast. She hurried up the stairs and down the hallway, her head spinning.

She burst through the front door.

The night air hit her face, thick and warm. Rays of blue clung to the horizon. Crickets and frogs sang as if this was any ordinary night. As if Addison’s world hadn’t just turned itself upside down. She stumbled toward her Bronco, her mind racing too fast for her to keep up.

Her eyes widened as she remembered the omen in her tea leaves that morning. Memories in the bourbon, a family stolen from her. Truth as a weapon.

She’d thought it was a warning about the sickness in the shadow garden. But it was so much worse. Could she just pretend she hadn’t seen any of it?

Would Sylvia let her?

Did she even want that?

When she reached her car, the bourbon still had its claws in the edges of her mind. She fumbled for her keys. Steel scraped against the lock as she tried, unsuccessfully, to fit it into the hole. Her keys slipped from her hands and hit the ground with a tinkling of metal.

“Fuck,” she murmured through a voice thick with tears. She needed to get out of there, but she was much too drunk to drive. She stared at the door and considered her options. She wanted to call Quinn, but that meant explaining why she’d stayed after everyone else had left. And she couldn’t answer those questions yet. She wasn’t ready.

“Addison?”

The sound of River’s voice almost broke her. As if this night couldn’t get any worse. She leaned her forehead against the window. She couldn’t face him. Not now.

“Come to gloat?” she asked.