scrubbing her skin until it was raw. But she couldn't wash away the feeling of violation, th

as off. The lie from Ms. Hayes echoed in her

. She ignored it, the sound drilling into her skull. Her anxiety wa

re. She had to find him

Ryder Stone, had posted a story an hour ago from a place called "The

zer, her movements sharp and jerky. She was do

he'd imagined. A stoic bouncer in a tailore

," Julia said, her voice

on didn't change. "He

ken her to meet his parents once, a stiff, formal dinner. "His mother's birth

or a long moment, then nodd

ring dresses laughed and drank, their voices a low, confident hum. Julia felt utterly out of place, a ghost haunti

amiliar, arrogant sound that used to make her heart flutter and now made her sto

ounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She was abou

Ryder asked, swirling the amber liquid in his gl

seemed to narrow to the space bet

y her? Are you kidding me? I just enjoy how pa

ft her lungs in a silent gasp. Her entire body went cold, a deep,

continued, his voice dripping with contempt. "I'

till stringing her

curb," Branson said, sounding smug. "But for now? She does whate

way" ex-girlfriend. The ghost Julia t

r three-year relationship. The "surprise," the "future"-it was

f this betrayal. The irony was so bitter it made her want to vomit. Her en

s lies. She clenched her fists, her fingernails digging into her palms, the shar

frond aside and wa

son looked up, and a flicker of surprise crossed his fac

ing thing. "Branson. Everything

hifted uncomfortably, their

expression cold, a silent, damning confirmation. T

ilted, the edges of her vision blurring. She swayed on