Untouchable

0.30

Kennedy’s POV

Secrets are dangerous.

But the truth?

The truth can destroy everything.

I never wanted to be back here.

Not in this position.

Not talking to her.

And yet, as I slipped through the back hallways of the dorms, I knew I had no choice.

Because she was getting reckless.

Because she had forgotten who the hell I was.

Because if she kept playing this game, she was going to expose everything.

And I couldn’t let that happen.

I reached her door and knocked twice.

Silence.

Then—

It swung open.

Lynne’s eyes narrowed the second she saw me.

“Wrong room.” She moved to shut the door, but I pressed my hand against it, forcing my way in.

“We need to talk,” I said, locking it behind me.

Lynne crossed her arms, staring at me with the same cold indifference she always had.

Like she didn’t care.

Like she hadn’t spent years pretending we weren’t the same blood.

“About what?” she said flatly.

I exhaled sharply, stepping closer. “About what you did.”

She tilted her head, feigning confusion. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

I clenched my jaw. “Don’t play dumb, Lynne.”

She smiled. “I don’t have to play dumb, Kennedy. That’s your thing, remember?”

I inhaled through my nose, steadying myself. “You sent the picture, didn’t you?”

Lynne didn’t even flinch.

Just stared at me, waiting.

Daring me to figure it out on my own.

I took another step forward, voice dropping.

“You sent the picture of Ivy and Nathaniel kissing.”

Nothing.

No denial.

No guilt.

Just the same unreadable expression she always had.

I let out a breathy laugh. “You’re unbelievable.”

Lynne finally spoke, her voice smooth and detached.

“Why do you care?”

I scoffed. “Are you serious?”

She raised an eyebrow.

I took a slow, measured breath. “You’re playing with fire, Lynne.”

She smirked. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

I clenched my fists. “You don’t get it, do you? If Alistair finds out it was you, if Adrian—”

She cut me off. “Then let them find out.”

I froze.

Because she wasn’t bluffing.

She meant it.

She wanted them to know.

I took a step back, narrowing my eyes. “Why?”

Lynne didn’t answer.

Instead, she walked to her desk, picking up a small silver ring.

She turned it between her fingers before slipping it on.

And then, finally, she spoke.

“Because they don’t know anything about us.”

The air shifted.

Heavy.

Charged.

She lifted her eyes to mine, a ghost of a smirk on her lips.

“But we do, don’t we, big sister?”

My breath caught.

Because even though no one else knew—

Even though we had spent years keeping it hidden—

Lynne had just said it out loud.

The truth.

The one thing I had buried so deep, I almost believed it wasn’t real.

Lynne Richardson wasn’t just some girl at school.

She wasn’t just a problem.

She wasn’t just another enemy.

She was my step-sister.

And she had just reminded me that no matter how much I hated her—

We were family.

And family?

That’s the one thing you can never escape.