“I never wanted to hurt you either, Ella.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “But I didn’t know why you said those things. I felt like you were using me to get at Deena, like I was a pawn in your drama game. I know it’s not a good excuse, but she’s oddly powerful. She gave me two options: she and Lil and Kylie could all release stories saying I abused them, too, or I could pretend to be her boyfriend and they’d all stick up for me, swear that you were lying. As pathetic as it sounds, I need my numbers. I figured I’m better off with her than against her.”

“I don’t blame you.” I sighed, sick to my stomach. “I promise my feelings for you were real. But now everything is ruined. We can never go back to the way it was.”

“No. We can’t, can we?” He frowned. “If I could go back in time, I’d run away with you before this mess happened—hide away somewhere so we could get to know each other. We didn’t get to explore what we had, but I know it was special.”

Every ounce of me wanted to believe him, to believe what we had could still exist. It was our f-ed reality that kept us apart. But I can fix that… My heart pounded. I shouldn’t tell him. It’s dangerous, but maybe he could come with me…

“What if you didn’t need your numbers,” I said, watching little rings of water pooling around his toe. “What if we could hide away. Would you do it? Hypothetically.”

“Hypothetically? I’d be intrigued.” He met my eyes, and electricity shot through me. “But it’s impossible.”

The sun glinted off his hair, bleached blond against his tan, and admiring the strength in his lean torso, I sucked in my breath. “What if it’s not impossible?”

Whoever my escort is will just have to deal with two of us.

He raised his eyebrows.

Back onshore, there was a splash off the edge of the dock. Jax and Bryce’s heads popped up in the water, bobbing toward us. I had to hurry. “Tonight. You have to decide tonight,” I whispered. “If you want to come with me, it’s your only chance. Be at the yacht by ten o’clock. You can’t bring anything but the clothes on your back. No screens, no AMPs. Nothing. I’ll be waiting.”

A slow smile spread across his face, and in it was everything about the Adam I knew and trusted.

“I’ll be there,” he said.

Jax reached the pontoon, and, plugging my nose, I jumped into the water, dunking my whole head. Breaking the surface, I swam for shore, Adam’s answer singing in my ears.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three

June 25, 20X5

Truth: Death isn’t an end; it’s a beginning.