Rewind the clock. After that fateful phone call with Dominic, Serafina had been left reeling from the news: Evelyn was actually in the same rural district as him.

That bitch. First, she’d sabotaged the wedding, and now she’d fled to the country. Her departure had caused such a scandal that Julian’s father, Arthur, had been forced to move his son out of the labor union just to keep the gossip at bay.

Of course, a man of Arthur’s standing wouldn't let his son become a common laborer; Julian had been shuffled into the Research and Development department. Serafina had prayed he would refuse the transfer out of protest, but Julian had accepted it without a fight. Without Evelyn acting as the "legitimate" fiancée to shield them, Serafina and Julian had to maintain a careful distance to avoid further ruin. She was seeing him less and less.

She had decided then that she would travel to the countryside herself. She would bring Evelyn back, mend the engagement, and restore the world to the way it was supposed to be. Evelyn wasn't supposed to react this way; she wasn't supposed to have a spine.

But after traveling a thousand miles to find them, Serafina hadn't expected to walk into a wall of insults. She certainly hadn't expected Evelyn’s tongue to be so sharp.

"Evelyn, I know you’re angry with me," Serafina began, her voice trembling. "But you have to let me explain—"

"Explain what?" Evelyn cut her off. "How you seduced Julian? How you convinced him to abandon his own wedding, to ignore his bride, and spend twenty-four hours at your bedside playing nurse?"

Serafina’s tears began to fall—silent, rhythmic droplets. She looked at Evelyn with a wounded, wide-eyed stare, as if she couldn't believe her dear friend could be so cruel.

Evelyn clicked her tongue in mock sympathy. "Look at those tears. If a stranger walked by, they’d think you were the one who got dumped at the altar."

"You were the one who called off the wedding!" Caleb snapped, stepping forward. "What does that have to do with Serafina?"

Evelyn’s gaze turned mocking. "Oh, so I just decided to stop the wedding for fun? I just chose to throw my life away and move to the mud because I felt like it?"

Dominic’s face darkened. "Julian’s mistakes aren't her fault. Is it her fault she has a heart condition? Have you no compassion, Evelyn?"

Evelyn let out a harsh, jagged laugh. "She cries a little, squeezes out a bit of salt water, and you two are ready to tear your hearts out for her. She doesn't need my compassion. She needs someone to beat the nonsense out of her head!"

"Evelyn!" Dominic hissed. "Where is your upbringing? Your dignity?"

"I don't have any," she snapped. "Dignity doesn't put food on the table. Besides, look at the Ward family. We’re all cut from the same cloth—vulgar, petty, and cruel. How could I possibly stay pure in this pile of filth?" She didn't mind dragging herself down if it meant dragging them with her.

Dominic’s teeth were gritted so hard his jaw ached. "I can forgive what happened before. But you will apologize to Serafina right now, or—"

Evelyn didn't wait for the threat. She stepped forward and delivered a swift, brutal kick directly to Dominic’s groin.

Dominic let out a strangled gasp, his face turning a sickly shade of grey-green as he collapsed, clutching himself in agony.

Damn her! he thought through the blinding pain. She hadn't held back. She had actually struck her own brother where it hurt most.

Serafina gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in a display of horror and guilt. "Evelyn, if you want to hit someone, hit me! He’s your brother! How could you?"

Evelyn turned on her instantly and delivered a stinging slap across Serafina’s face.

"You said it yourself—if I want to hit someone, hit you." Evelyn swung her hand back and caught her with a second slap on the other cheek. "I’m just being helpful."

Serafina clutched her burning face, her mind screaming. Bitch! You absolute bitch! I will destroy you for this! But outwardly, she only wept harder.

"Isn't this what you told them?" Evelyn asked, towering over her. "That I’ve always been a bully? Now I’m doing it for real. Are you satisfied? Is the performance complete?"

"I... I never said those things," Serafina sobbed.

"You’re not stupid enough to say it directly," Evelyn sneered. "No, you just play the pathetic waif. You complain about how 'slow' you are, how you’re not 'brilliant' like me, until the boys steal my notebooks so I can't study. If a teacher praises me, my homework mysteriously vanishes two days later. When I earned that job at the meatpacking plant, you cried about how your weak body made you a 'useless failure' compared to me. And look at that—you cried your way right into an office job at the union! Some people rely on their parents; some rely on talent. You? You’re world-class at leaking from your eyes."

Evelyn stepped closer with every word, forcing Serafina to back away. Serafina’s heart sank. How does she know? How does she see through it all now?

Suddenly, Serafina’s heel caught on a clod of dirt. She tumbled backward, landing hard on the ground.

Caleb, who had been tending to the doubled-over Dominic, looked up just in time to see Serafina fall. He assumed Evelyn had pushed her. "Evelyn! If you lay another hand on her, you are no longer my sister!"

"Fine by me," Evelyn said coolly. "I never wanted the job anyway."

Caleb shook with rage. "You want to disown us? Fine! It’s over! I don't have a sister anymore!"

"A dream come true," Evelyn replied.

Caleb felt like he was going to explode. He couldn't understand this version of her. He ignored Dominic and rushed to help Serafina up. "Serafina, ignore her. She’s been out of her mind since the wedding. Maybe if Julian shows up, she’ll snap out of it."

Evelyn didn't bother responding to their nonsense. She turned on her heel and went to find Tess to go mushroom hunting. Tess had been waiting nearby, staying out of the way out of respect for Evelyn’s "family business," though she’d overheard enough to have a very different opinion of the Ward brothers.

Back at the dormitory, Dominic was helped into a chair, and Caleb made sure everyone heard his declaration: he was done with Evelyn. He wanted Serafina to know—to really know—that she was the only one who mattered. All those insults he’d said earlier? Just a means to an end.

Hazel, one of the other girls in the house, watched the scene unfold. When she heard Evelyn had attacked Dominic, she’d been ready to storm out and give Evelyn a piece of her mind. But the sight of Serafina—weeping incessantly, looking like a fragile doll—triggered a different instinct in Hazel. She became wary.

"Dominic," Hazel asked, her eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"

"A family friend," Dominic said softly, his eyes lingering on Serafina with a tenderness he couldn't hide.

Hazel studied the newcomer. "Wait... is she the 'best friend' Evelyn mentioned?"

She remembered Evelyn’s story about the friend who had stolen her groom. If she grew up with Evelyn, she grew up with the brothers, too.

Serafina didn't think Evelyn would be bold enough to ruin her own reputation by telling people about the jilted wedding. She offered a watery smile. "Evelyn and I have always been the closest of friends."

Dominic’s stomach twisted. He sensed the trap. "Hazel, I’m fine now. Thank you for the help. You should get back to your work."

Hazel’s expression shifted. She saw the way Dominic was trying to protect the girl. She wasn't sure she believed everything Evelyn said before, but seeing Dominic’s reaction now? He was clearly infatuated.

"I don't know about 'best friends,'" Hazel said, her voice dropping to a dangerous chill. "But Evelyn told us you stole her fiancé. She said the reason she’s out here in the dirt is because she couldn't stand to look at the two of you for another second."

The color drained from Serafina’s face until she was as white as a sheet.