Chapter 91

LIAM

I go quiet. The only sound in the car is the low hum of the road beneath us and the radio playing too softly to make out the lyrics.

“She’s good at pretending,” I say eventually. “Always has been.”

Emilia’s voice is barely above a whisper. “So those two weeks I didn’t hear from you…?”

She doesn’t finish. Doesn’t have to. But her eyes are suspiciously glassy.

I save her the effort. “It was one of the bad weeks. Jess has more good ones now, but when the bad ones hit, she forgets how to be a person unless I’m there. I’m the crutch that brings her back.”

“That’s so fucked up,” Emilia mutters, swiping under her eyes with her sleeve. She sniffs, trying to pull herself back together.

I should leave it alone. I really should. But teasing her makes things feel normal again—makes the urge to reach over and kiss the tears off her face a little easier to ignore.

“You cursing is weird. It doesn’t suit you. Neither does crying.”

She shoot