“Olivia comes first,” Stephen said.

The world stopped.

“…not Ellie.”

I looked right, hoping I misheard him.

But I hadn’t.

The one person I trusted.

The one person I leaned on.

And he had just said the cruelest truth out loud.

How could he say that so easily?

Stephen didn’t look at me.

He looked away instead.

Like he couldn’t even face me after saying it.

The tears I've been holding fought hard to let loose, but I forced them back down.

No.

I refused to cry.

Not here.

Not in ...