I didn’t want to confide in him. Didn’t want him to see the mess I had become.

And I couldn’t deal with the things he was saying. Like he had… feelings for me?

Warren is not what he seemed to be. What I thought he was.

Yes, I was still hurt about what happened to my father. His suicide was a permanent scar on my psyche… but the stuff he’d done? Like my mom, I started to feel like I should have stopped him. Should have seen just how bad it was instead.

But I had been blinded by the money. By the lifestyle. Naïve.

I saw what my father wanted me to see. Even when he was trying to pimp me out to his friends’ sons.

The most shocking was how similar Warren and I were. Two people, out for revenge. For their fathers. Willing to do anything to get it.

Except, in the end, my father killed his.

The muttered whispers continued, and I figured I couldn’t stay in the shower much longer before one of them decided to break the door down.

When I finally got a towel around myself, I opened the door to see Piper and Violet huddled together just outside.

Piper was holding not one, but two bottles of wine, while Violet had a bunch of candy in her arms.

God, what did I do to deserve these two?

I couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“Hey, girl,” Violet said with a hesitant smile. “Tough night, huh?”

Finally, the weight of it all came crashing down. I couldn’t stop tears from falling from my eyes.

“Why did you do that?” Piper hissed, shoving her lightly. When the sob finally tore itself from my chest, they both rushed to my side, trying their best to console me while having their hands full.

I’m not alone.

Finally, I had two people by my side. Instead of racking my brain trying to fix everything, I could rest. With them. Lean on them.

Warren showed you you could lean on him too.

The thought alone had me crying even harder.

“I ruined everything,” I whispered, forcing out a pitiful laugh between my sobs.

Piper let out a hiss.

“You mean Warren did,” she corrected. “I knew the bastard would hurt you.”

Violet shot her a hesitant look before turning to me.

“How can we help?” Violet asked.

I wish they could. Wish they could help me turn back time. But I’d already fucked it all up.

“It was me,” I said, looking at them. “I lost the money. All two million of it.”

Piper’s face twisted, and Violet sucked in a quick breath.

“That much?” she whispered. “You don’t even get, like, I don’t know… a prorated version of it?”

I shrugged.

“I don’t remember reading it in the contract, and at this point, I doubt he’d give me anything.”