Chapter 49

—Ellie—

Mateo was already gone when I woke the next morning. He’d always been a late riser, but that, too, seemed to have changed. I slipped out of bed and dressed before I left my room. Instead of heading downstairs, I moved down the hallway to Arianna’s room and knocked. My stomach tightened painfully.

“Come in!” she called.

Frowning at her chipper tone, I slipped in. She lay on her stomach, her ankles crossed. She was drawing. When she spotted me, she flushed. I walked toward her and perched on the edge of the bed. Her arms covered her drawing, and I tilted my head.

“I wanted to talk to you about Drake. I assume Dad already talked to you?”

She gave a tentative nod, biting her lip. “Are you mad at me?”

“Mad?” I echoed, confused.

“Because Drake wants to marry me now and not you.”

The tightness left my chest. That was what they told her. Good.

I regarded her closely. “No. I’m not. I want you to be