Grey shook his head, as if to ward off Kiran’s words. He desperately, desperately wanted to believe Kiran was a lying piece of shit. But how could he overlook the engagement announcement? It was dated right after she had broken things off with him. Was Kiran right? Had Grey just been her plaything, a way to amuse herself, while she waited for the bigger, better things in life?

DE had mentioned how Jaya had won a trophy in archery, and Grey had dismissed it because it didn’t fit with the Jaya he knew. She hadn’t corrected him when he’d said what an incredible stroke of luck it was that she’d ended up in virtually all his classes. And now this arrogant jerk—her future fiancé—was saying she’d set it all up. That from the moment Jaya Rao had entered his life, she’d been trying to… to what? What was the endgame behind her manipulations, behind all her lies?

Snow began to fall, and Grey stood, letting the flakes coat his hair, his eyelashes, letting it cover him up, bit by bit, in ice.

“It’s better this way, Grey,” Kiran said, almost sympathetically. “I’m sure there was always a part of you that felt like this wasn’t real. Isn’t it better to know the truth than to be blissfully ignorant in a complete lie?” He sounded so patronizing, a part of Grey wanted to reach through the phone and wrap his hand around his neck. But that was a distant part of him. Most of him felt nothing.

Grey took the phone from his ear and pressed “end,” his fingertips cold and covered in snow. He stood for a long time, staring at nothing.

A few minutes ago he’d been wondering where Jaya was, so he could speak to her. So he could fight for her. A few minutes ago life had been relatively simple. Then he’d answered his phone. And in that instant things had gone from simple to very-not-simple. From all’s-well to what-the-fuck-is-happening.

Grey glanced across the snowy darkness at the main building, lit up bright and warm. Laughter drifted out. He thought about how happy he’d felt holding Jaya’s hand, how he’d felt ridiculously lucky when she turned those big brown eyes on him. He had believed everything she’d said about how the curse didn’t define him, that it didn’t matter to her. He had believed her when she’d said he deserved more. He’d been so sure he knew her. That she was steadfast and honest and her eyes would never lie to him.

Grey squeezed the phone in his hand, which, he noticed with a grim, remote interest, was shaking. Fury? Shock? Sorrow? All of those and so much more.