Nelly had finally gone to bed, and I should have felt relief. Instead, anger simmered beneath my skin. The audacity of Gwen to show up at my house at this hour. I hadn't even realized how outdated my security system was—I should have made sure her car was never allowed through the gates.
My phone vibrated beside me. I picked up.
"We dropped her off at home," my head of security reported.
"Good." I ended the call and exhaled sharply, my mind circling back to what Jake had mentioned earlier. It was glaringly obvious now—I had to cut off every last tie to Gwen. Completely.
Rubbing my face, I let the stress sink in.
Four years ago, my mother had come to me like she always did—once a year, without fail, pushing some grand scheme into my life. But this time, she hadn't come alone. She'd brought Gwen. And right there, in front of her, she told me everything—no space to think, no space to act. Just the blunt force of expectation.
