Now or Never ⇀ John B Routledge [1]

ii. drowning

Ashtyn was scared. In sixteen years, she'd never been caught in a lie like this, and tonight her luck had run out. She'd regained consciousness by the time Sarah and Topper got her to the hospital, but the two blondes wouldn't let her leave without seeing a doctor.

She raised her hand to cover the outline of Rafe's much larger one with her own. She looked like a mess: hair wild and wavy, eyes bloodshot from crying. She wouldn't be surprised if a stick or two was tangled in it.

A soft knock on the door made her flinch—she feared her mother had come to finish her off. "Ashtyn?" Sarah's voice calmed her.

Ashtyn had expected her brown‑eyed friend to leave on the first ferry out of Swan Quarter that morning, but for some reason Sarah had refused to go. Ashtyn was grateful; they'd drifted in recent years—Ashtyn focused on a Princeton future her parents planned, while Sarah just lived. Sarah didn't have a stressed bone in her body. At sixteen, Ashtyn already knew the hard realities ahead.

The Hughes family had more money than they knew what to do with. If Ashtyn wanted any benefits later, she had to obey her mother's rules: go to Princeton, get an engineering degree, and join Hughes Enterprises. Simple. If she didn't—well, Luke wouldn't be the only one hiding on Kildare Island.

She imagined the kind of hell Claudia would unleash once they were alone.

Claudia Hughes was a respected businesswoman—traveled the world, gave speeches about her rise. She'd worked for it, Ashtyn knew that, but it didn't excuse her parenting. Claudia married Peter about a year after graduating from Princeton, and together they'd become a powerhouse. Hughes Enterprises owned a chunk of businesses in North Carolina; every time Ashtyn saw the zeros on her parents' paychecks she almost fainted.

So yes, she was glad someone was a buffer.

"Yeah, Sarah?" Ashtyn called through the bathroom door, keeping her eyes on the purple bruise around her throat. Her grip tightened when the skin darkened further.

No hiding this with makeup.

She let out a breath and dropped her hand. She couldn't hide forever, but she wished this pause could last. "What's up?"

"Topper texted—your mom—"

"Her mom what?" In an instant Ashtyn's calm exterior shattered. Claudia's smile was cold, the fakest she'd ever seen.

Both girls watched Claudia drop her brand‑new Coach onto the unmade hospital bed. They wished they could telepathically coordinate their story.

Claudia was great at two things: making money and detecting lies. As one of the best liars in the Southeast, she could sniff out a half‑truth.

"That her, uh, mom was here so she should really get back into bed." Sarah straightened and wrapped an arm around Ashtyn's shoulders to lead her back. "Wouldn't want her to worry, now would you?"