As I start to walk up my front steps, I reflect on this. Even Iain believes in love, has clearly been in love. For all I know, he’s in a happy relationship, though I somehow doubt that if the haunted look in his eyes is any clue. Yeah, that’s a man who has demons, someone who’s been hurt. I open the front door and enter my foyer, instantly smelling food.

“Rachel?” I call out, setting my bottle down.

“Upstairs,” she yells back.

The house seems deserted. She probably dismissed everyone. I take the stairs, hearing music coming from my bedroom as I walk to the left toward Raven’s room, stopping myself before I knock.

It’s like I have weights on my chest, like I’m fighting something. This is a battle that can’t ever be won.

Screw knocking. Why pretend you’re something you’re not? I enter, my eyes instantly finding her. It’s as if I’ve stepped into a different universe, because in this universe all is moving slowly, as if time is trying to give me a second to catch up.

Raven stands. The book she was reading falls to the floor. Her eyes are red as if she’s been crying. But all I can do is stare at her.

She is my weakness, but I don’t have to be her downfall.

“It’s over.” My voice comes out strong. Our eyes connect, and I let myself become trapped in her sapphire pools as they blink back tears.

“What is wrong with you?” Her voice cracks. As she walks toward me, her scent of orange blossoms wraps around me. When I die, this will be my last smell—I know it. Her face and this smell will wrap around me as I take my last breath. Jesus Christ, I need to stop drinking. I’m thinking crazy, or maybe she’s just that dangerous.

Her eyes, which at first held tears, are now almost black. “What. Is. Wrong. With. You?” she repeats.

“I told you I’m an asshole.” I unbutton the top two buttons of my dress shirt.

She snorts, covers her mouth, and nods, then points out the door. “You really are going to marry her? Do you have a fucking clue who, and what, she is?”

“I know exactly what she is, Raven.” My voice is flat, and suddenly everything seems gray and dark.

“She’s hated me from the day I was born. Why?” She throws up her hands. “I don’t know, and you know what, Jett? I don’t care, but you… I thought you were brilliant. I thought you were strong and…” Tears spill down her face. Pain, much like what I witnessed moments ago with Iain, flows out of her, making me uncomfortable, as if there’s a noose around my neck.