Back at the mansion, tension had settled like dust on old furniture. After dragging Nova away from Kane's house the night of the full moon, her brothers had gone quiet. Too quiet. Nova walked through the halls now, her bare feet silent on the marble floors. The mansion felt bigger than ever.
Ethan, the calm one, had tried to reason with her after the incident.
"We're not trying to control you," he'd said gently. "We just don't trust that guy."
Nova didn't argue. She didn't have the energy. Kane had been kind, his family warm and funny—but it had all been too much. Zane's mother had practically started planning a wedding, and Nova had only wanted a few days of peace and fun.
Now she was home. Or what passed for home.
Max had dropped a joke at dinner to lighten the mood. "Well, at least she didn't join a cult. Yet."
Darian hadn't laughed. He hadn't even looked at her. Ryder had muttered something under his breath and left the table. And Ethan just kept watching her like he was trying to figure out a puzzle no one had given him the pieces to.
Later that night, Nova sat on the balcony connected to her room. She pulled her knees up to her chest, staring at the stars. The air was quiet, but her thoughts weren't.
She didn't love Kane. That much was clear to her now. It had been nice—being wanted, being accepted. But it wasn't real. Not the kind of real that made her want to stay. She'd enjoyed the fun, the laughter, and being seen as someone normal, not the billionaire's mysterious stepdaughter.
"Couldn't sleep?"
The voice made her jump. She turned. Ethan.
He walked over, sitting beside her, a comfortable distance away.
"You know," he said after a pause, "I think Max is secretly terrified you'll disappear again."
Nova glanced at him. "Is that why he made five jokes about kidnapping me back?"
Ethan gave a soft laugh. "Probably. Ryder's just mad. And Darian… well. You know Darian."
"Silent and brooding?"
"Exactly."
Another beat passed.
"Ethan," she said, hesitant, "why are you all so—intense about this? It was just a weekend."
Ethan didn't answer at first. When he did, his voice was quieter. "Because you matter now. You're not just some guest. You're... part of this family."
Nova blinked. She hadn't expected that. Not from him.
"And maybe," he added, then stopped himself.
"What?"
He shook his head, smiling faintly. "Nothing. Just... maybe we care more than you think."
Nova turned back to the stars. She didn't know what to say.
Inside, behind a wall, Ryder leaned with his head against the doorframe. He'd followed Ethan out of curiosity, maybe concern. He'd tell himself that tomorrow. But tonight, watching Nova's soft laugh under the moonlight, something twisted in his chest. Something he didn't want to name.
He hated Kane. Hated the way Nova had smiled around him. And yet… it wasn't Kane that lingered in his mind right now.
It was her.