Heartless Hero (Crowne Point 1)

When I went to Crowne Hall, I decided to take a less bloody route. Many times I’d scaled Abigail’s wall so I could catch her when she snuck out. There was an easy-to-climb lattice on the shingled wall, and garden boxes to get your footing. Her window was high up and always open.

The alarm went off when I opened the window, so at least Tansy wasn’t lying about that. She had gone through with that part of the deal.

Her room, though? Fucking empty.

I went to find Tansy. They couldn’t have really fucking kicked her out, right? Tansy was where she always was—in the damn sunroom.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“Good question,” she hummed, not even surprised by my presence. She flipped a magazine, not looking up.

“She’s your daughter.”

“As far as I, and the rest of the family, are concerned, Abigail isn’t a Crowne. She took her things and left yesterday.”

It took a minute for what Tansy was saying to sink in. Yesterday, when Abigail had found me, she’d been kicked out? She gave up everything?

I was such an asshole.

“You kicked her out?” I asked, to be sure.

“She chose this. Abigail stood her ground for the first time in her life, over you.” Tansy lifted her head, pinning me. “Are you worth it, Theo?”

That was an easy question to answer. “No.” I nearly laughed. Hell fucking no. That wasn’t the answer I was focusing on anymore.

Tansy looked down at her magazine again, earmarking pages with five-layer cakes.

“But Abigail thinks so,” I continued. “So I’ll spend the rest of my fucking life trying to be whatever she sees in me.”

Tansy slightly raised her brow, flipping another page, earmarking another dessert. She didn’t acknowledge my presence further, and, either way, I was done talking to the Crownes.

Abigail left her family, left her entire world behind for me. She was somewhere—alone, with nothing.

I’d barely left the sunroom when I heard Gray’s apathetic voice drift over my shoulder. “This is the problem with feeding a dog. They keep coming back. They think they belong here.”

When I turned, he was speaking to the girl, Story, apparently now a fixture at his side.

Gemma was a few feet away, by the huge double doors, leaning against the stone walls, a cup of tea in her hands, watching my and Gray’s exchange with interest.

“I thought you were smart, Gray,” I said. “Don’t you know yet? You can kick me out, you can send me away, but I’ll come back. I’ll always come back. I’ll always be here. As long as Abigail will have me—and even when she doesn’t want me—I’ll fucking be here.”

Gray sighed. “What a fucking miracle she doesn’t live here anymore, then.”

Without another word, I kept walking.

“You ruined her life,” Gemma said as I was about to leave.

I stopped, and Gemma kicked off the wall. “She was a Crowne and now she’s nothing.”

“I’d fucking do it again too,” I said. “My only regret is not doing it sooner.”

She frowned, and just as I was about to push open the double doors and leave this plac

e for good, Gray spoke.

“You should’ve told us about Newton,” Gray said. “My mom might not care, but only I get to fuck with my sister.”

“And only I get to rip out her hair,” Gemma added.