“I’m still in love with your sister, and I don’t care if you agree with it or not.” I shrugged. “If you think so low of me that I was actually grooming her like a sick person and wasn’t looking after her, that’s on you. Because if I have to choose between which one of your relationships means the most to me, it won’t be the one I had with you.”

Silence.

I considered punching him in the eye, paying him back for the senseless beatdown he gave me, but he suddenly stepped back.

“I heard you with another woman in your room in Vegas,” he said.

“Like I told you before, there was no other woman.”

“And Anya Sterling?”

“A run-in with bad timing,” I said. “It was also blown completely out of proportion. I would never cheat on Penelope.”

He stared at me for a long time, looking torn between believing me and lunging at me.

I flexed my fist just in case it was the latter.

“I’m not sorry,” he said.

“I wouldn’t accept your apology if you were.” I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the attempt, though.”

“Okay, I really am sorry.” He looked genuine. “I just thought you were treating her like every other woman you’ve—Well, you know.”

“I’m still not accepting your apology, especially if that’s the best you can do.” I crossed my arms. “You fractured my fucking eye socket.”

“If you thought some other guy hurt Penelope, I’m sure you would’ve done much worse.”

“You left me bleeding on the kitchen floor.”

“I remember you calling me about a certain guy you beat to a pulp before. What exactly did he do to Crown?”

I sighed. “Apology accepted. Have you talked to her? She’s ignoring me.”

“For now. She’ll have to talk to you within the next few months or so, I’m sure.”

“You must not know how long she can hold a grudge.”

He stared at me blankly for several seconds. “She didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I met her in Salt Lake City, but she’s upset with me now, too. I can try to call her.”

“No, that’s okay,” I said, stepping out of the ring. “I’ll find her myself.”

Forty-Seven

Present Day

Penelope

The moment that I landed in New York, I took a cab to Seventh Avenue Bank.

Since Travis made such a huge deal about this bank account, I decided to withdraw every dime and use it toward a new condo.

If there was enough for that, anyway.

“Thank you for calling ahead of your arrival, Miss Carter.” The bank manager extended his hand when I stepped through the doors. “We’re still getting things together, but we’ll be handling this in my office.”

“Sounds perfect.” I followed him into a large room where other suits were waiting.

He motioned for me to take a seat.

“Just to confirm, a few years ago, Mr. Carter transformed this account into a money market. Then he started a new one in your name and invested almost all of it into Cinder’s shares. Does that sound correct?”

He never told me that.

“Sure.” I nodded.

“Okay, well—” He cleared his throat. “I recommend getting a few cashier’s checks, but I’ll happily dole your funds out however you like. How do you want it done?”

“Cash, please.” I set my bag on his desk. “All hundreds.”

He picked up the bag and looked inside of it. “Do you have other bags on their way here?”

“No.” I shrugged. “That’s it.”

He looked over at his associate, then back at me.

“Miss Carter,” he said, slowly sliding the reading glasses off his face. “How much money do you think is in your account?”

“Fifty thousand, give or take.”

“If it was fifty thousand, I wouldn’t have met you at the door, and you would’ve been out of here minutes ago.” He leaned forward. “This is seven million dollars.”

My jaw dropped to the floor, and I felt all the color leaving my face.

“Like I was saying.” He looked at me. “How do you want it done?”

“Cashier’s checks.” I could barely hear my voice. “But just for um, ten percent of it.”

“I thought so.” He stood to his feet. “I’ll be right back, Miss Carter.”

I leaned back in my chair, beyond stunned.

I pulled out my phone to unmute Travis and send him an appreciative message, but he’d texted me already.

Several hours ago.

Travis: I love you, Crown … I hope someday you’ll see where I was coming from. Even though I couldn’t physically be there, every match I ever fought was for you.

Forty-Eight

Present Day

Hayden

* * *

 

Cinder Settles with Tinder for $40M

* * *

 

Cinder’s Company Valuation Now Worth $2B

* * *

 

Simon Gaines Arrested in Manhattan for Fraud, Hedge Fund Offices Raided

Forty-Nine

Present Day

Penelope

Manhattan, New York

“It took me all this time to realize that everything I’d done with Cinder, every move I’d ever made, was because I was in love with my best friend, and I didn’t want her to be with anyone else …”

“I was willing to lie, cheat, and steal, to get back at the man who I thought had taken her away from me.”

Tears hit my screen as I read Hayden’s words in The New Yorker for the umpteenth time. In revealing the truth about Tinder, he’d exposed bits of our story that I’d long forgotten, and late last night, the months before my accident unfolded in my brain like the pages of a novel.

Scene after scene of me wanting him and dating Tim as second-best, not knowing that he felt the same way that I did.

I wanted so desperately to call him and tell him to meet me someplace so we could talk, but I couldn’t do it.

The past headlines of his affair with Anya were still a barrier to us ever being friends again.

We can be co-parents and nothing more.

“Hey, Penelope?” Tatiana’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “You kind of need to get out of the car now.”

I looked to my left and saw her holding up an umbrella over the cab’s open door.

“Oh, sorry.” I stepped out and stood underneath it, shutting the door behind me.

“I think this is a decent complex,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “Lots of great amenities, and it’s close enough to two rinks. It’s also close to—Well, um…”

“Cinder,” I said. “In case.”