Chapter 4

Claire forced a stiff smile. "I know."

Julian's expression went cold for a fraction of a second before smoothing back to calm.

It happened so fast Claire thought she'd imagined it, but then he spoke. "Good. Then don't let it happen again."

Claire clenched her jaw, her whole body rigid. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Julian stared her down. "Do I have to spell it out? You knew Priscilla is Vivienne's close friend, yet you went and called Diane a mistress. How is that not targeting Vivienne?"

She barely held back her fury. So that was what he meant. "Julian, she started it. She was the one who insulted Mom."

She'd expected him to understand. Instead, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Ethan was right. You've been spoiled beyond repair."

The words hit her like a physical blow. She'd known Ethan would take Vivienne's side, but she'd never imagined Julian would do the same.

Disbelief and despair churned inside her. "Priscilla said Dad cheated because Mom wasn't good enough. You heard that — and it doesn't make you angry?"

Julian studied his headstrong little sister and spoke slowly, deliberately. "Vivienne was a newborn baby when it happened. What could she possibly have known?"

"She's right — she didn't choose the circumstances of her birth. There's no reason for you to take it out on her at every turn."

Claire didn't know what she'd supposedly done to Vivienne. In that moment, it felt like being dragged back to the night before the detention facility.

Vivienne had been attacked. Their father had hauled Claire out of bed, accusing her of hiring someone to kill Vivienne, calling her evil.

She'd done nothing. They said there was a witness who'd identified her. She'd been met with scorn from every direction. She'd tried to explain, tried to get to the bottom of it.

That was when Julian had stepped forward, fixing her with a look so cold it froze her blood. "Claire, no matter what you've done, I'll protect you — because you're my sister. But you have to face the consequences."

He'd stood by her not because he believed her, but because she was blood.

To punish her, they couldn't ship her off fast enough — straight to the detention facility, without hearing a single word of her defense.

And now Julian looked at her with that same placid expression, a flicker of impatience beneath the surface, and repeated the same words. "Claire, you're my sister. So no matter who's right or wrong, I'll stand by you without question. But don't let it happen again. I don't want to see a repeat of this."

In that moment, the tall, familiar man standing before her felt like a stranger.

That year — the year of their mother's funeral — she'd broken down completely.

Julian had been only seventeen. He'd gripped her hand, his voice raw and choked. "Don't cry, Claire. Mom's gone, but you still have me. I'll protect you for the rest of my life. I won't ever let anyone hurt you."

And for a long time, he'd kept that promise. No matter what she faced, he'd been there — shielding her, believing her.

He still stood on her side now. But his heart had already shifted.

In that moment, she understood with devastating clarity: the brother who'd once promised to protect her forever didn't love her anymore.