The confrontation Erin's been building toward finally happens — and it costs her more than she bargained for. Cassie, left alone in the car, gets a warning of her own.
**Chapter 5**
✦ SECTION A · ERIN ✦
**Adam.**
The name was a bruise — tender, impossible to ignore, flaring up with every heartbeat. Nine months since he’d walked in on them. Nine months since the screaming, the accusations, the way he’d looked at her like she was something rotten. They hadn’t spoken a word to each other since.
Parker had said she forgave them. She’d even promised she’d talk to her dad, try to talk him down. It clearly hadn’t worked.
Erin sat with her head back, eyes closed, the low drone of the plane engines filling her ears. She wasn’t sleeping. She could feel Cassie’s hand in hers, warm and steady on the armrest between them. Cassie was scrolling on her phone with her free hand, the soft glow lighting her face in the dim cabin. Erin didn’t open her eyes. She just kept turning the same thoughts over and over.
If Adam was keeping Parker from her—if he’d been hiding her ten minutes away this whole time—she would kill him. She would actually kill him.
By the time the plane landed, Erin was spoiling for a fight. She was ready to say all the things she should have said nine months ago instead of biting her tongue for Parker’s sake. She was done being nice. Done playing the civilized ex-wife. Done swallowing every sharp word so her daughter wouldn’t have to pick sides.
The drive to Adam’s house was completely silent. Both of them locked in their own heads, miles apart even sitting side by side.
When they pulled into the driveway, Erin killed the engine and looked over at Cassie.
“Wait here,” she said. “Stay in the car. I’ll handle this.”
Cassie opened her mouth like she wanted to argue, but something in Erin’s face must have stopped her. She just nodded.
Erin walked up to the front door and knocked—hard.
A young woman answered. She was strikingly pretty — really young, Parker’s age, maybe even a little younger. Younger even than Erin had been when she and Adam first met. Warm honey-colored skin that glowed under the porch light, soft brown eyes framed by thick lashes, and long dark brown hair streaked with natural sun-kissed highlights. She wore an oversized college hoodie and fitted jeans, the casual, comfortable look of a student who’d been lounging around the house. The faint emblem on the front of the hoodie was from a local school. A faint scent of laundry detergent clung to her.
There was a flash of recognition in the girl’s eyes. *Does she know me?* Erin thought. She was pretty sure she knew most of the kids Parker’s age in Nashua. Was this one from out of town? Going to the local college?
The girl’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. *Was that a smirk?*
Erin felt an unwelcome little twist in her gut. How long had this been going on? Had they been together nine months ago when Adam was screaming at her, calling her a monster?
*Adam’s love life is none of my business,* Erin reminded herself sharply. *Even if he’s a raging hypocrite.*
The girl called back into the house. “Adam? Someone for you.”
A moment later Adam appeared in the doorway. The girl slipped back inside without another word. Adam’s eyes flicked past Erin to the car, landing on Cassie in the passenger seat. His mouth twisted.
“What the fuck do you want?”
Erin didn’t flinch. “You know what the fuck I want. I want to talk to Parker. Where is she?”
Adam scoffed. “It’s not my place to tell you where Parker is. When Parker wants to talk to you, I’m sure she’ll call you.”
Erin’s jaw tightened. “Is she here?”
Adam looked past her at Cassie in the car. “You really should keep her in a car seat.”
Erin’s voice went sharp. “That’s real rich coming from you. How old is your little girlfriend,” she asked. She tried to look around him, but Adam dominated the door frame.
He leaned in slightly, eyes cold. “She is not my girlfriend. Her mother is.” His voice dripped acid. “Can you imagine what kind of monstrous piece of shit I’d have to be to be fucking a girl our daughter’s age?” *** (Cassie)
Cassie sat in the passenger seat, the engine still ticking as it cooled. She pulled out her phone again, thumb hovering over Acacia’s name. The last message she’d sent — just hours ago — still sat there unanswered.
I know I don’t deserve it but please talk to me. I’m so sorry.
She typed another one anyway, fingers shaking slightly.
Kaysh, I’m really sorry. I’ve been a terrible friend. I miss you. Can we please talk?
She hit send, then immediately opened the thread with Mama Webb and hit call before she could lose her nerve. The phone rang twice.
“Cassie, honey,” Mama Webb answered, voice warm but cautious. “Is everything okay?”
Cassie swallowed. “Hi, Mama Webb. I… I’m not sure. Erin is talking to Parker’s dad right now and I’m just sitting here and everything feels like it’s falling apart.”
There was a soft sigh on the other end. “I heard some things. About you and Dr. Bennett getting married. About Parker.”
“Yeah.” Cassie’s voice came out small. “I know it looks bad. But I really love her. I thought… I don’t know what I thought anymore.”
Mama Webb’s tone stayed steady. “Cassie Klein, you are a woman grown. Who you choose to love is no business of mine. But this thing between you and Acacia… I’m not choosing. I’m not going to choose sides between two women I helped raise. This is something you two are going to have to sort out between yourselves.”
Cassie’s throat tightened. “I know, Mama. But I really hurt her this time.”
“There’s no family on this earth that hasn’t hurt each other once or twice,” Mama Webb said gently. “It’s not the hurting that matters. It’s the healing that makes us family.”
The kindness in her voice made Cassie’s eyes sting. She wiped at them quickly.
“Are you bringing Dr. Bennett down with you for Thanksgiving dinner?” Mama Webb asked.
Cassie let out a shaky breath. “Well… I wasn’t sure if I was still invited.”
“Of course you are. You’re always welcome here.”
“I don’t know,” Cassie murmured. “We’ll see.”
“Alright. Will you let me know? So I can make sure there’s enough food.”
“Of course. Yes, thank you, Mama Webb.”
They said their goodbyes, soft and familiar, and Cassie hung up.
For a moment she felt a flicker of relief — Mama Webb hadn’t shut the door on her. But it faded almost immediately. There was no way she could actually go to Thanksgiving. Bringing Erin would make everything tense and awkward. Even going alone would drag all this drama into Acacia’s family. It was better if she just stayed away. This was Acacia’s family, not hers. Not anymore.
She opened her old text thread with Parker. The last messages were from that chaotic afternoon at Erin’s house — the day everything had started to unravel. Cassie had been too wrapped up in Erin, making out on the couch, to check her phone.
Hey, my dad’s on the way. He’s coming to pick up my Switch.
Cassie??
Are you reading your messages??
He’s almost there. Answer your phone already.
Cassie what are you doing??
Cassie stared at the unread texts, her stomach twisting with fresh guilt. She remembered how furious she’d been when Parker started dating Sam — how Parker had pulled away, spending all her time with Sam, leaving Cassie feeling abandoned and forgotten. And now she’d done the exact same thing, only worse. She’d ignored Parker’s desperate warnings while she was busy making out with her best friend’s mom.
The hypocrisy burned low and hot in her chest.
She was still staring at the old messages when she heard Erin’s raised voice from the porch.
“Go fuck yourself!”
**Chapter 5**
✦ SECTION D · CASSIE ✦
Cassie’s head snapped up at the sound of raised voices. She caught Erin pushing past Adam and storming into the house. Without thinking, she reached for the door handle.
Before she could get it open more than a few inches, the door slammed shut again.
Cassie looked up, startled. A girl — younger than her, probably closer to Parker’s age — was leaning casually against the car, one hip pressed firmly against the door. She had dark hair and a sharp, knowing smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
The girl knocked lightly on the window.
Cassie hesitated, then rolled it down.
“Hi,” the girl said brightly. “You must be Cassie.”
Cassie’s stomach tightened. “Do I know you?”
“Nope.” The girl’s smile widened, cold and cutting. “But you’re marrying Parker’s mom, right?”
Cassie nodded slowly. “Yeah…”
“Yeah, my mom is engaged to Parker’s dad.” The girl’s voice stayed light, almost conversational. “He’s a really sweet guy. Really good to my mom. Hell, even my dad loves him.” She let out a soft, mocking laugh. “Small world, huh? This time next year I’ll be Parker’s stepsister… and you’ll be, well, I guess you’ll be her stepmom. Crazy how that works.”
Cassie’s face burned with humiliation and rising anger. She muttered under her breath, “If you say so.”
The girl’s eyes glittered with satisfaction. Cassie yanked hard on the door handle, but the girl bumped it closed with her hip, harder this time, clearly enjoying herself.
The girl leaned down, resting her forearms on the open window frame so they were almost nose to nose. Her voice dropped, low and venomous.
She pulled out her phone, swiped to a photo, and shoved the screen toward Cassie.
It was a picture of a woman who looked like an older, harder version of the girl — same dark hair, same sharp features, but with deep lines etched around her mouth and eyes from years of hard living.
“This is my mom,” the girl said. “Beautiful, right?” Her tone dripped with contempt. “I just wanted you to know what she looked like in case you ever bumped into her. Say, in a bar or something. So you’d know to turn the fuck around and go the other way. Because Parker’s very forgiving, as you know.” Her smile vanished completely, eyes turning ice-cold. “But I am *not*. I am *not* the one to fuck with.”
✦ ✦
**Chapter 5**
✦ SECTION E · ERIN ✦
The drive home was the longest ten minutes of Erin’s life.
Neither of them spoke at first. Eventually they did share — short, halting sentences about everything that had happened. Erin told Cassie about Adam’s cold fury and the way he had looked at her like she was a stranger. Cassie told her about the girl who had blocked the car door and delivered those vicious, cutting words without ever giving her name. Both of them sat with the weight of what they had heard. Sharing it had not lightened the load.
They rode the rest of the way in heavy silence.
Erin kept her eyes on the road, knuckles white on the steering wheel.
*We’re out of road.*
The thought kept circling, heavier with every mile. They had called. They had checked social media. They had gone to the dorm, to the registrar, to Adam’s front door. And every single door had been slammed in their faces. Parker had changed her number six months ago. She had moved out over the summer. She had cut them off so cleanly it was like she had never existed.
Now all Erin had left was to hope that some Sunday her phone would ring and it would be Parker. Just like the old days.
The guilt carved deeper. How had she let nine months slip by without truly fighting for her daughter? How had she taken Parker’s sudden, shaky forgiveness at face value? How had she convinced herself that everything was okay when she could barely forgive herself for what they had done?
For years after the divorce Erin had been so careful not to make Parker feel like she had to choose between her mom and her dad. But now Erin had forced exactly that choice. And it seemed painfully clear which side Parker had picked. It was Adam’s house she had gone to. It was Adam she had called to help her pack. It was Adam she had turned to when her world fell apart.
Erin had taken Parker’s presence, her love, her place in their lives for granted. And now that presence was gone, leaving behind a Parker-sized hole in Erin’s life — a raw, aching absence she had tried to ignore, tried to paper over with work and Cassie and the fragile new happiness they had built. But it was still there. It had always been there. Every time she walked past Parker’s old room. Every quiet evening when the house felt too big and too empty.
By the time they pulled into the driveway, the silence between them felt unbearable.