The tires ground to a halt against the gravel, the sudden stop cutting the hum of the engine into a heavy, suffocating silence. Outside, the dark silhouette of the forest pressed against the glass, while below them, the distant city bled a hazy golden glow into the night sky.
Damian didn't look at her immediately. He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. "Are you sober now?"
Alice leaned her head against the headrest, letting out a slow, exhausted breath. The freezing sting of the pool water rushed back into her senses, shivering away the worst of the alcohol. "Yeah. A lot better. The pool water cleared my mind."
Damian turned his head slowly. In the dim shadow of the cabin, his eyes looked deep, almost predatory. The yellow city lights caught the edges of his pupils, reflecting like burning ambers in the dark. "You shouldn't have come with me, Alice."
Alice let out a dry, breathy scoff. She shifted in her seat, crossing her arms to ward off the chill of her damp clothes. "What is that supposed to mean? You're my friend, right, Damian? There's no need to fear you. Right?"
Instead of answering, Damian scoffed under his breath. He swung the car door open, the crisp night air rushing in, and stepped out into the dark. Without a word of explanation, he stripped off his soaking wet shirt, his muscles tightening in the cold light. He reached into the back seat, jamming the wet fabric into a waterproof laundry bag before slamming the door shut.
Alice knocked on the glass, her voice muffled. "Can I change inside the car?"
He nodded once through the window, turning his back to give her privacy.
Alice quickly peeled off her damp dress, shivering as she pulled on a dry shirt, layering a thick navy blue jacket over it and stepping into a pair of black trackpants. Outside, Damian pulled a fresh black T-shirt and a matching black jacket over his frame, pairing them with dark jeans.
When she finished, Alice unlocked her door and stepped out into the crisp night. Instead of standing by the door, she climbed straight onto the hood of the car, lying back so her head rested against the cold glass of the windshield. The metal underneath her was still warm from the engine.
Damian followed suit a moment later. He climbed up, sitting right next to her, his long legs dangling over the bumper.
"Do you like the view?" he asked quietly, his eyes fixed on the glittering expanse of the city below.
"I love it," Alice murmured, staring up at the empty sky. Then, she turned her head toward him, her brow furrowing. "Why are you always so drawn away from me, Damian? So... detached?"
"I'm not detached," he replied evenly, not looking back at her. "I'm simply not in the mood."
"Why?"
"Not everything needs a reason, Alice."
Alice rolled her eyes, a sudden memory flashing in her mind. "Are you gay like Melvin? Because that's exactly what Mia told me."
A sudden, genuine giggle broke through Damian's brooding facade. He shook his head, the tension briefly melting. "No. No, I am not gay."
"Then why the refusal?" Alice pressed, turning her whole body toward him.
Damian went quiet. He took his time, the silence stretching between them like a taut wire. Before he could answer, a sudden burst of color shattered the darkness over the city. Beautiful, brilliant fireworks began to bloom in the distance, painting the horizon in shades of crimson, gold, and emerald.
Alice's breath caught. She turned toward the horizon, entirely mesmerized, the vibrant colors reflecting perfectly in her wide, glittering eyes.
Damian didn't look at the fireworks. He looked only at her. As the light danced across her face, his expression hardened into something somber. "It's because you and I... we're not meant to be, Alice."
Alice kept her eyes on the sky.
"Why not?"
"It's a long story."
She let out a soft, amused hmm, leaning back further against the windshield. "Then proceed. I have a lot of time to hear your story."
Damian laughed it off, a bitter, hollow sound. "You're not ready for it."
A wave of defeat washed over her. She stopped pushing, letting the silence take over once more. As the fireworks faded back into the dark, her eyes wandered toward the dense, pitch-black forest behind them. The shadows seemed to twist, bringing a sudden, sharp realization to her mind. My mom.
"I need to get down," Alice said abruptly, shifting her weight to slide off the hood.
Damian reached out, his hand wrapping around her wrist to stop her. "Where are you going?"
"My mom is looking for me," Alice said, her voice dropping. She looked at his hand, then up at his face, offering a soft smile. "I had a lot of fun with you tonight. Thank you Damian."
"How will you even get home?" Damian asked, his brow furrowing.
"By taking the bus, maybe."
Damian laughed openly at that. "There are no buses after 11 PM out here."
"I'll book a cab then," she said defensively.
Damian shrugged it off, trying to look indifferent, but his eyes betrayed a deep, lingering worry. Alice's smile softened. Even in the faint, bleeding light of the city, she could see right through him.
Sliding off the hood, Alice opened the back door of the car and climbed into the seat. She pulled out her makeup set from her duffel bag, clicking on the small overhead light. Looking into the tiny mirror, she began to wipe away the smeared, botched mascara and lipstick from the chaotic night.
Suddenly, the car jerked. Damian had climbed down from the hood. He opened the back door, stepping inside and pulling it shut, sitting right next to her in the cramped space. Alice didn't mind. She didn't even stop wiping her face.
Slowly, deliberately, Damian leaned in. His shadow fell over her, cutting off the light. Before she could voice a question, he closed the distance, his lips meeting hers in an intense, desperate kiss. It was fierce, driven by a sudden surge of unspoken emotion that caught Alice entirely off guard. She dropped her makeup wipe, melting into him as the world outside vanished.
When they finally broke apart, both of them breathing heavily, Alice forced a small, shaky smile. "I still have to go anyway."
Damian's hand slid up to her neck, his thumb resting against her pulse point. His eyes were dark, pleading. "Stay the night."
He didn't wait for an answer before pulling her back into another deep kiss. The friction between them turned electric. His hands began to wander, tracing the lines of her body under the thick jacket, moving with an urgency that made her heart race. The heat in the back seat rose rapidly, pushing them to the very edge of losing control.
But before things crossed the line of no return, Alice placed her hands firmly against his chest, pushing him back.
"No," she said, her voice steady despite her racing heart. "I'm not feeling well... and I am not do it before getting married Damian."
Damian froze. For a second, his grip tightened, but then he let out a long breath and slowly pulled his hands back. He respected it. Without a word of complaint, he leaned forward, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her lips, and they settled into a quiet embrace, making out softly until the heat faded into a gentle warmth.
Exhaustion finally claimed her. Alice collapsed sideways, letting her head rest heavily on Damian's lap. Her eyes drifted shut, but her mouth kept moving, the lingering alcohol making her filter entirely nonexistent.
"My mom knows we kissed," Alice mumbled into the fabric of his jeans. "I saw a video someone posted on Insta... the caption said, 'Some kid's mom is here to take her home. What is this, kindergarten?' It was my mom. Sophia was showing the video to her. My mom looked so pissed after seeing it... she stormed out of the party, pissed as hell."
Alice let out a weak laugh, her mind drifting back to the earlier hours.
"From the second I walked into that party... I felt like an unwanted guest."
Damian's hand slowly brushed through her hair. "Why do you think so?"
"There's supposedly a hate account about me on Insta. Has been for the last four years," she whispered, her eyes cracking open to stare at the back of the front seat. "I only found out last Friday. The exact moment I walked through the party gates, they started posting pictures of me on it. Insulting me. Branding me as a slut." Alice laughed, a sharp, ugly sound. "A slut."
Damian didn't react. His hand just kept moving through her hair. Suddenly, the sharp buzz of his phone broke the silence. He pulled it from his pocket. It was his home.
He answered, his voice dropping to a low, soothing tone. "Hey... Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be back by dawn. I promise."
Alice listened to the faint, worried, frantic voice bleeding through the receiver. "Your mom sounds just like my mom," she murmured.
Damian's hand froze in her hair. He stared down at her, his expression suddenly icy, a dark storm gathering in his eyes. For a terrifying three seconds, he looked like he might snap. Then, he abruptly blinked, shook his head, and climbed out of the back seat. He opened the front door and sat in the driver's seat, slamming the door between them.
"Are you going home?" Alice asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"No," he said shortly.
Alice sighed, sinking back down into the leather seat. She grabbed her makeup wipes again, determined to finish cleaning her face. The silence didn't last. She needed to talk, to drown out the ringing in her ears.
"The moment I sat in the booth at the party," Alice continued, her voice echoing in the quiet car, "my eyes fell right on my three ex-best friends. They seemed perfectly fine without me. A bunch of snakes. It made me so sad, seeing them happy. I really thought I was someone special to them. Turns out, it was all a lie."
She wiped a streak of foundation from her jaw.
"They became distant two years ago. The exact moment I became the class topper. The moment I scored amazing in my exams, started dating Melvin, started looking good and trying out makeup for the first time. They acted so supportive on the outside, but underneath? You could practically smell the rot, the rising tension."
Damian didn't reply. Up front, the blue light of his phone illuminated his face as his thumbs flew across the screen. He was completely tuned out.
Alice finished wiping her face, throwing the dirty wipes into a small bag. She lay completely flat on the back seat, resting her head on her duffel bag, staring up at the roof of the car.
"I saw Sophia notice me at the drinking booth tonight," Alice said, her voice dripping with venom. "Later, she whispered to some guy, and that guy successfully spiked my drink. I knew it but I didn't even care. I drank the whole thing while looking Sophia dead in the eye. I wanted to brag to her face that they couldn't get me higher than I could get myself."
She paused, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Then, thankfully, you asked me to dance. I made her so jealous. But then you left me on the dance floor. You know what I saw next? The same guy who had been making out with Sophia a couple of minutes ago was just dancing there in the crowd. So I went up to him, pulled him by his shirt, and kissed him right in front of everyone. I did it just to show Sophia. A little revenge for a little cunt play. All's fair in love and war, right?"
Alice giggled, though there was no joy in it.
"I lied to Mia, you know. Back when she accused me of feigning ignorance about Sophia and Grace bullying people... I knew. I completely knew. You probably caught me lying, didn't you? But you didn't say it to my face. Thanks for keeping my respect."
She shifted, staring at the back of Damian's headrest.
"I really hated the way Sophia dealt with annoying girls. But there was no one in class better than them. They were the top of the food chain. I wanted to stick around a little longer... as long as I was left unharmed. I wanted to be at the top. And honestly? I learned a lot from them, oddly enough. They gave me a lot of confidence and morale when I was at my absolute rock bottom even if they never really meant it. I didn't care if they bullied people. No one else cared about me as much as they did back then. Fake or not, bullies or not, they were my friends."
Damian finally spoke, his voice cutting through the dark. "Do you miss them?"
"I don't," Alice said instantly. "I miss companionship. I wish someone would fill that gap, but all girls are such vicious cunts. Even the most innocent-looking ones."
Damian let out a sudden, dark laugh. Alice laughed along, the absurdity of the night weighing heavy on them.
"You're lucky, Damian," Alice sighed, closing her eyes. "You don't have to tell your every move to your mother. You don't have to worry about vicious, competitive friends."
"My mom is much the same as yours," Damian countered, his tone turning sharp.
"And my friends are incredibly competitive. My mother is domineering. She wants to control every single move I make."
"Are you in her control?"
"It's hard to fight her," Damian murmured, his voice cracking slightly. "She always gets emotional. She's... she's sick. I don't want to make her sad in her last few days."
Alice's chest tightened with sympathy. "That's what all mothers do, I guess."
Silence fell over the car again, heavier this time. Alice stared at the ceiling, a thought that had been brewing in the back of her mind for days finally rising to the surface. The pieces of the puzzle had finally clicked together while she was staring at the fireworks.
"Damian?" Alice asked quietly. "Do you know my mother?"
In the front seat, Damian froze. He turned around, his face laced with deep confusion and a sudden, guarded defensiveness. "No. Why the hell are you asking that?"
Alice let out a soft, calm laugh, sitting up slowly. "Because I was looking through my mother's old family photo album a few days ago. And then, I saw a photo of you on your mom's Facebook page. Turns out... my mother had a twin sister."
Damian didn't say a word. The air in the car turned instantly sub-zero.
"Tell me," Alice said, her voice dropping to a deadly calm whisper. "Is this why you want to stop this relationship? Because your mother is my mother's twin sister? Because you... are my cousin?"
Damian remained entirely paralyzed. He broke the agonizing silence with a long, ragged sigh, rubbing his face with his hands. "How the hell did you find my mom's Facebook page?"
Alice laughed, though her eyes were completely cold. "Everyone knows who your dad is, Damian. Mr. Jones owns half the real estate and businesses in this city. It's not rocket science to find his wife's Facebook page."
Damian slammed his hand against the steering wheel in frustration, turning his face away.
"Look, cousin," Alice said, leaning forward. "We can still go back to the way things were. I didn't sleep with you, now did I? After tomorrow, let's never talk to each other again. Let's never meet again."
Damian turned back around, a mocking, bitter laugh tearing from his throat. "You really think you know everything, don't you?"
"No. Unfortunately everything isn't in my grasp," Alice replied, her voice tightening. "Especially because we were drunk when we kissed. Today was a day full of mistakes and surprises. But tomorrow can be better."
Damian's eyes narrowed into slits of pure hatred. "You are just like your mother. A bitch who feigns ignorance and escapes like she's standing on some moral high ground."
The insult hit like a physical blow. Alice's face went blank. "Fuck off," she said, her voice completely drained of interest.
She grabbed her duffel bag, threw open the car door, and stepped out into the freezing night. But before she could take two steps, Damian was out of the car. He slammed his door, lunged forward, and caught her by the shoulders, pinning her violently against the rear car door.
"Do you have any idea what your mother did?!" Damian shouted into her face, his breathing ragged, his composure entirely shattered.
"I know! And I'm fucking proud of it!" Alice screamed right back, shoving his chest.
"Proud?!" Damian yelled, his grip tightening on her jacket. "Your mother ran away with a man and stole from the Rainer family, from my mom's property! She humiliated my mother before wedding, causing her to get a heart attack!"
"My mom was was sick and abused when she ran away! She did what she could to survive!" Alice yelled back, tears finally spilling over her eyelids, hot against her cold cheeks. "The family treated my mother like shit. She was used like a clone for her twin sister, a blood bag, an organ harvesting machine! For your mother! Did your precious mother or your grandparents ever mention that to you?! Did you ever have a slight doubt about every lie and poison they fed you?"
Damian froze. The fury in his face vanished, replaced by a sudden, jarring emptiness. His hands loosened on her jacket. He stumbled back a half-step, completely stunned, confused, and speechless.
"What...?" he whispered.
"My mother was malnourished and dying when she finally escaped the Rainer hellhole!" Alice cried, her voice breaking as she sobbed openly. "What kind of parents do that to their own daughter? Using one child as a living backup battery for the other? What did your mom tell you, Damian? What lies did she feed you for you to plan this pathetic revenge against me?!"
Damian stared at her, his head shaking back and forth in denial. "She... she didn't..."
"What did she say?!" Alice shrieked, stepping into his space, hitting his chest with her fists. "Tell me! How could you think of ruining my life when you knew absolutely nothing about the truth?!"
Damian was completely shocked. The harsh, predatory guy from moments ago vanished, leaving a terrified boy behind. His own eyes began to pool with tears.
"I knew it," Alice whispered, her voice cracking as her strength gave out. "I've known ever since the day you started sending me those anonymous texts. I knew you had ulterior motives. I tried to fix you, Damian. I tried to convince you to change, to see me as someome better, but you were never listening." She looked up at him with profound pity and disgust. "You failed. You failed as a brother, as a son, as a friend, and as a lover."
Damian choked back a sob, his mind in complete conflict. But within seconds, he fiercely forced his composure back, wiping his nose and his tearing eyes with the back of his sleeve. "My mom is dying, Alice," he said, his voice trembling with a deadly, desperate weight. "And it's all because your mother left her to rot."
"Well, revenge won't make your mother get well again!" Alice countered fiercely. "If your incredibly rich dad can't save her with all his billions of dollars, no one else can!"
Damian collapsed back against the side of the car, burying his face in his hands. The silence that followed was broken only by his ragged breathing.
"I'm sorry," he whispered after a long time, his voice barely audible over the wind. "I didn't want to get in your way... but I couldn't bear it. I couldn't bear to see your family so happy, living a normal life, while my mother is struggling to breathe every single second."
"Your mom has been weak since birth, Damian, she always needed special care. Her health didn't go bad because of my mom. In fact, my mom was the only thing keeping her alive." Alice said softly, the anger leaving her, replaced by a profound numbness. "It's a miracle she even crossed twenty and had a baby like you."
Damian let out a hollow, broken laugh. "I just wanted to make one thing right in her life."
"And ruining my family was your pathetic way of making things right?"
Damian didn't answer. He turned away, opening the driver's side door and pulling himself back into the car, effectively moving away from her.
Alice didn't wait. She turned her back on the car and began to walk slowly down the dark, winding hill road. She hadn't slept a single minute, the alcohol was still poisoning her veins, and she was thoroughly pissed off. Her body felt like lead.
A minute later, the bright beams of headlights illuminated the road ahead of her. The car crawled to a stop right beside her, the passenger window rolling down.
"Get in," Damian said, his voice muffled. He was still sniffling. "You should rest until dawn. It's not safe outside."
Alice was too tipsy, too exhausted to fight anymore. She opened the back door, climbed into the seat, and lay flat on her back, pulling her duffel bag under her head as a makeshift pillow.
Up front, the quiet sounds of Damian sniffling filled the dark cabin.
Alice stared blankly at the roof of the car, tears leaking silently from the corners of her eyes into her hair. "My mom and dad struggled so hard to raise me," she whispered into the dark. "Even if they are suffocatingly concerned about me... every single thing they did, they did out of love."
Damian didn't speak a single word.
Alice's chest heaved as a fresh wave of tears hit her. She looked at the back of his headrest, her voice trembling with a dark, terrifying thought. "Are you going to strangle me in my sleep, Damian? Is that your ultimate revenge? To take away the one thing my mother loves the most, because you know your mother won't survive? An eye for an eye perhaps?"
Damian remained entirely silent, the car rolling silently through the dark night as the city lights slowly faded behind them.
Alice closed her eyes, letting out a broken, tearful whisper. "What a perfect revenge that would be."