“Um…” Alex put a hand on the refrigerator, steadying herself. “Yep.”

There was a pause between them, Renee turning her head toward the window to exhale her smoke without ever moving her eyes. She slowly clocked Alex’s stupor before nodding almost imperceptibly, as if she were deciding to show no mercy despite their imbalance.

“Because I know you’d be ‘shattered’ if he were going back to Los Angeles. Right?”

The question hovered over them like a dark cloud, Alex remaining silent while oblivious partygoers squeezed behind her on their way to the living room. It took her several beats to understand what was happening but, even through her inebriated haze, the truth started to click into place: Renee had read her letter.

“Listen, I don’t know what your deal is,” Renee’s voice lingered disdainfully on deal as she took the time to give Alex a head-to-toe look, almost certainly noting the spots on her dress where the acrylic fabric had pilled. “But if you hurt my sister, we’re going to have a serious fucking problem, okay?”

Alex found herself unable to formulate a response, settling again for nodding as tears began to rise within her, along with a distinctly sick feeling at the base of her stomach.

“Stay away from both of them,” she continued in a raised voice, piercing her with her husky-like eyes, unwavering. “Do you understand?”

All at once, Alex realized that the hum of the kitchen had gone quiet and everyone was looking at them—including Danial and Daphne, who were standing just outside the doorway. Danial’s face was unmoving while Daphne’s was furious, and the tears slipped faster down Alex’s cheeks at the sight of them. “Please,” she thought, looking at Danial across the room, “Please help me.”

The floor began to spin beneath her, the untenable combination of drugs and prosecco and this devastating turn of events. She couldn’t bear the way he was looking at her, full of pity and confusion, his hand firmly grasping his girlfriend’s. Suddenly, her primal instincts took over, telling her to run to the sink immediately. She barely had her hands gripped to the cold metal edge before furiously heaving the contents of her stomach into it. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she vomited, still pathetically crying rivers of regret as her body rejected everything she had put into it over the past two hours.

“Gross,” Renee muttered, and Alex could hear her turning to walk out of the kitchen, boots clicking on the tile.