1. Serena

I used to have a stalker.

And when most people think about that word, stalker, they never have anything nice to say about whoever was stalking them.

Sometimes, those people don’t come out alive on the other side. 

My stalker wasn’t all bad. 

Just your average loser with way too much time on his hands and a fascination with my many trips to the nail salon and grocery store.

It was in the early days of my fame. 

There were fan pages and I gained a lot of followers across all my platforms but one stood out the most.

He was dedicated. 

Wrote the nicest things about me, only posted flattering photos and constantly praised my acting. There must have been about 10 posts about my first Emmy Win. He was proud and a die hard fan.

I saw him for the first time when my team sent him a care package during the press tour for my first starring role. He filmed a video and sent it to my DM personally to thank me and although I was advised not to respond, the heart emoji I sent him seemed to be enough.

Enough to set him off. 

I started seeing him everywhere. At all my premiers, interviews, outside of studios when I did cover shoots, outside of some of the restaurants I frequented. New York is a big place but the amount of times I’d see him, sometimes even more than once in a day, started to get very weird.

I finally acknowledged him when I was getting coffee discreetly and saw him outside of the shop.

“What do you want from me? You can’t possibly think this is the way to get my attention?” I said when I approached him in his shitty hiding spot.

He looks almost shocked that I was even speaking to him, almost as if he wasn’t worthy of such.

“I-I just think you’re amazing Serena, everything you do, everything you are. From your acting to your beauty, you’re a fucking dream come true,” He told me like he’d been just waiting for an opportunity to do so.

I was 24 and no one I had ever had romantic involvement with had said that to me before.

I got his number, emailed him an NDA, and gave him the one night he spent almost two weeks begging me for. 

A week later, I signed a three-movie deal with MGM and was on a flight to L.A.

I got a new number, a new hair color, and a new house. I thought about him once or twice but he wasn’t significant enough to have anything with.

By the time I turned 25 and I was garnering Oscar Buzz for my last performance, he wasn’t even a recurring thought in my mind. I didn’t have time to interact with my fan pages like I once did, my social media isn’t even mine to take care of anymore so I never thought if he was still around.

I’ve been in LA for almost four years now. I’m a year away from the big 30 and I’m secretly engaged to the first friend I made when I got out here. I’m flying to see my family for the first time in three years because my sister, Brooklyn, secretly got married.

After a 7-hour flight and barely any sleep, imagine my surprise when I walked into the kitchen of my childhood home to find that not only is my younger sister married.

She’s married to Nick.

And Nick is the guy who used to stalk me.

“Serena! It’s so good to see you, my love!” My mother, Tasha, exclaims, pulling me into a smothering hug. I haven’t seen these people for three years and for good reason.

I’m the middle child. My brother is a recluse, he lives in New Zealand and his father is white. My sister is the baby and the favorite and me, I’m the money.

I’m the most talented, the best looking and was previously the most insecure. 

I was put in acting and modeling very young, trained for the stage and graduated early to take professional acting classes. I got my first role in a movie at 18 after years of musical theater and scored a check I never saw.

I moved to New York at 20 and was still somehow the breadwinner of my family. I send my mom money for her bills and my sister money for school. 

When I got my first Emmy, I started making real money but by then I learned to say no. I gave my mom and my sister a million dollars each and told them to leave me be, they barely even watched my movies. 

I’ve always just been a paycheck. 

Even now, after moving across the country, never responding to their messages or calls, and going out of my way to distance and detach from them, they still find ways to ask.

And I always say no.

Nick is staring at me but I can tell he’s not trying to make it so obvious that he is.

He looks the same. He’s six feet, the same brown complexion as me, big desperate looking brown eyes and thick brown hair. His arms are bigger, he looks like he’s eating more. 

I immediately regret agreeing to come versus just having a facetime session with them.

My sister looks happy, ecstatic even as she holds Nick’s hand and talks all about him.

We shake hands as if we’ve never met and my clear goal for the rest of the next two weeks is to avoid being alone with him in any capacity.

I told myself I wouldn’t need my man for this trip.

I lied.

As soon as I get away from my family for one second, I call Kaiden.

“Hey sweetheart, everything alright?” My sweet boy says when he answers the phone on the first ring.

“Nick is here.” I state simply. 

Kaiden is the first person I met when I moved to LA. He was my neighbor and I saw him on the elevator on my second day in the building. 

We fell into a relationship that felt as natural as breathing. 

I say that to say, he knows every single thing about me and he’s never once judged me.

So he knows about my Nick situation.

“I just booked the next flight, I’ll be there tonight. Don’t kill him.” Kaiden says because he knows my tolerance has only become smaller and smaller over the years.

“I won’t.” I hang up and take a deep breath.

Walking back into the living room feels like walking to the electric chair.

My mom and sister are arguing over something. My sister's hand is clasped tightly with Nick’s and he’s staring at his phone.

“Oh Serena! We’re thinking of going to lunch, how’s that sound?” It sounds like I’d rather eat glass than go to lunch but alright.

Nick’s eyes shoot up to look at me. I really wish he wouldn’t because he’s about as subtle as a fire alarm. His eyes are huge and he’s studying my every breath it seems.

This was a terrible idea.

“So,” My mother starts once we’ve all sat down at King Crab for lunch. She’s next to me and the love birds are next to each other.

Nick is still stealing glances at me like it would kill him not to do so.

“How did you guys meet?” My mother is as eager as a child in a candy store. I, however, am not interested in how my sister managed to meet this weird ass man.

Just cause I slept with him, doesn’t make him any less weird. 

I also am fully aware of my celebrity status as I trout about with no security but my natural hair is out and my prescription glasses are on so I’m only recognizable if you squint or if you’re a big fan of me.

Like our waiter, who has told everyone in the building that I’m here, and I had to sign eight different papers and smile for pictures. It’s a nice distraction from the mess that I know is going to take place within the next two weeks.

“We met at a gallery opening for one of my friends. Nick was there with his friends and we met by a painting of some trees and haven’t spent a day apart since.” Brooklyn says. She’s beaming with all of her teeth, it’s a bit creepy. 

Nick is smiling, Brooklyn is smiling, my mother is overjoyed and I am disgusted.

“How long did you two date before crossing the threshold to the rest of your lives?” I ask in the most serious tone I can conjure. I still receive an elbow from my mother which means ‘Be Nice’ in layman terms.

Brooklyn’s smile falls just a little.

“A year but not everyone is waiting until they’re Grandma's age to get hitched,” She snaps at me in that way she does when she’s trying to prove she’d better than me in front of everyone else.

A part of me is actually glad Kaiden isn’t currently here or he’d be at her neck. 

“I didn’t mean it like that Brooke, I just…I didn’t think you’d be the type to jump the broom without anyone knowing, or at least letting us meet him beforehand,” So that I can tell you he’s a fucking creep! I don’t say it but I think it very loudly

Brooklyn sighs in a way that tells me she’s about to say something ridiculous.

“I know but I knew this was right and we didn’t want to wait, right?” She nudges Nick who has been so quiet that I almost forgot he was here.

He clears his throat. “Yeah, yeah, I popped the question and while we were sitting on the couch she looked at me and said let’s just go tomorrow. I’m sorry if that wasn’t what you guys hoped for. We still plan to do a big ceremony for my family and stuff. That’s why we invited everybody this weekend.” Nick says, putting his arm around Brooklyn.

I genuinely cannot tell if this is real or not and honestly, I don’t have it in me to care. If my sister is happy, then I’m happy for her. The past is the past and I intend to keep it to myself.

As long as her husband intends to do the same.

Lunch continues with my mother grilling Brooklyn and Nick about their relationship. 

He looks at my sister like he won the lottery, like she’s everything he’s ever wanted and I like it. 

Brooklyn is…difficult to say the least. Incredibly spoiled, a bit bratty, and has standards higher than heaven.

Her goal in life is just to marry well and live off him. She doesn’t have many hobbies, she hates working and college took her six years before she finally just decided to get her degree in Journalism and do the bare minimum at the magazine job I managed to get her here before I left for bigger and better things. She just wants someone to take care of her the way my parents and then eventually myself have been doing her whole life. Our relationship is distant but that’s not unusual for one sister who’s famous and the other who wishes she was.

The waitress comes back, looking directly at me before speaking to the table.

“How are we splitting the check?” She asks. 

“Oh it’s just one check, thank you.” My mother says. 

I release a deep heavy sigh. That means I’m expected to pay even though no one even bothered to ask, they just assumed.

“I’m not paying for this whole thing,” I mutter to her while Brooklyn and Nick whisper about something.

My mom rolls her eyes. “Serena, why not? You make the most, you should pick up the check, it makes sense.”

It doesn’t.

“I’m not a bank, Ma, y’all have jobs and chose to come to a seafood restaurant, pay for your own shit. All the checks are split,” I say to the waitress who’s just waiting to see what we’re doing.

“One check, like I said.” Mom says.

“What did I just fucking say?” I snap.

Mom cuts her eyes at me, like I’m the one embarrassing her.

“You are paying–”

“No, I’m not,”

“Serena, just pay, you’re literally rich.” Brooklyn says, rolling her eyes as she reapplies her lip gloss.

“My finances do not concern y’all. I will take my check and I guess y’all can wash the dishes for yours.”

It sounds selfish. I know it does but these two don’t even call to ask how I am before they ask for money despite them both having good jobs and means to pay for their own food.

“I’ll pay, it’s alright,” Nick speaks up. He hands the waitress his card with a light smile.

Brooklyn kisses his cheek. “So sweet. Mom and I are going to get the car, we’ll be right back.” She says as the waitress hands him his card and receipt. They put their coats on and are out the door too quickly, leaving me and Nick alone. 

Something I did not want.

I busy myself checking my emails, texting my friends in my group chat back and doing everything I can to avoid having to speak to this man in the three minutes it’s going to take for them to warm up the car we all came in.

“You look good. Great even.” He breaks the silence after sixty seconds.

I hum so he knows I heard him so he won’t repeat himself.

“Are you really not going to talk to me for the next two weeks you’re here?” He asks me.

I look up to meet his eyes and he has the nerve to smile.

“We don’t have anything to talk about.” I mutter as quietly as I can. God forbid anyone hears me.

“I think we do, I mean, we’re in laws now.” He says with a smirk.

Like he– no no, that would be insanity.

I blink at him.

“I saw your last movie. I loved it,” He continues.

It was a damn good movie but that’s an objective fact. It got one hundred percent on Rotten Tomatoes and I won an Oscar for my jaw dropping, tearing jerking performance. 

“I like how you managed to capture every emotion within the span of two hours. I was happy, sad, angry, surprised, it was amazing, Serena.”

I am not moved by his compliment.

“Do me a favor, Nick,”

He smiles wider.

“Anything,” He breathes.

“Don’t make this so fucking obvious. You are married to my sister. My full blood sister. We do not have anything further to discuss. I appreciate the compliment but this is not what’s about to happen.” I tell him firmly, in my serious actor voice so he knows I mean business.

His face drops, his smile right along with it. He sits back, jaw clenching as he nods at me.

“Yes ma’am.” He whispers just as Mom is walking back to the table.

“Come on y’all.”

The next four hours are spent in pure agony as I listen to Nick go on and on about the fascinating tales of the British Monarchy. He’s a British History teacher which sounds like the most boring job ever to exist and is telling us about the paper his students are currently writing.

“So, there isn’t a whole lot to be known on the illegitimate grandchildren of King George the Third but I asked my students to dig deep for their research, really find something interesting about the mothers or the children themselves and try to image how different history might have been if they were legitimate,” He is saying to a room full of three bored women.

“That’s interesting, honey, really,” Brooklyn says, patting his back and giving him a fake smile. He nods, going back to chopping the carrots for the soup he’s making.

Which I will be having none of.

“Fascinating,” I deadpan under my breath, earning a pinch from my mother.

“Sounds like a very fulfilling job, Nick, that’s very nice.” She says in a very mom-like manner.

He shrugs. “I like it because I mostly teach online so I have a lot of free time. I really like to collect movies. Brooke knows.”

“Oh he’s got an entire room dedicated to it. Completely untouchable, I’m barely allowed in there. Serena, all of your movies are in there.” Brooklyn says, oblivious to how much I don’t care.

The doorbell rings and I thank the God I pray to that it ends this conversation.

I fly to open the door like I live here and there stands the man of my dreams. My man, my fiancée, my bodyguard, the only person that has my back no matter what.

Kaiden is six foot four with a shoulder to waist ratio that makes even me jealous. He’s half Hispanic, half Japanese with the deepest brown eyes and the cutest dimple in his wide smile.

He is excellent at playing bodyguard both in public and in private.

I practically throw myself into his arms and he spins me around.

Mind you, I’ve only been gone two days.

“Thank God you’re here.” I mutter before he leans down to give me a kiss.

I hear teeth sucking behind me and turn to see my sister looking at me like I just crashed her car on purpose before she stomps off.

Kaiden raises an eyebrow.

“I’ll be out in a second, let me go see what I did wrong this time.” I huff, handing him my purse and going back into my mother’s house.

I walk past where Nick and my mom are sitting in the living room and into the kitchen where my sister is angrily washing dishes.

“I wasn’t aware I murdered your dog, my bad.” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

Brooklyn rolls her eyes. 

“My marriage news isn’t hot for five minutes before you have to go and steal the spotlight back from me,” She spits, continuing to splash water all over herself and the counter.

“Excuse me?” I say after a few long seconds of trying to make that sentence make sense.

“I’m just saying. I just got married for God sake and you all of a sudden have a hot new boyfriend? You already get to be the rich and famous one.”

This is the main reason Brooklyn and I do not get along. 

She wants what I have, what I spent my whole life working for. I was basically forced into this career and she’s never just been happy for me or anything I do. 

I take a deep breath. My head is starting to hurt from all the ridiculous activity I’ve witnessed. I have to be the bigger person here though or I will suffer.

“Technically, he’s my bodyguard and he didn’t want me out here all alone. He doesn’t really trust my disguises so he came out here,” I tell her. It’s not a complete lie.

Kaiden is actually my bodyguard. It was what he did before we even met and his agency works with my team both personally and professionally. 

I read fanfiction about us all the time, people come up with the craziest ideas about us.

Brooklyn looks at me with a dust of hope in her eyes. We have the same eyes.

“Really?” she asks.

“Yeah. I’m not here to take anything from you, Brooke, I just wanted to be here for the party and the ceremony like big sisters should be.” I move one of her faux locs from almost touching the sink water and rest my hand on her shoulder.

She smiles at me, a wave of relief covering her slender shoulders.

“You’re coming tomorrow for breakfast right?” She asks me. I give her a nod.

She gives me a hug and I leave quickly after saying bye to my mom and ignoring Nick.

I cannot get to the car fast enough. 

Kaiden opens my door, checking the perimeters before peeling out.

“How was it?” he asks, reaching for my hand and kissing it. My mood is instantly fixed by my best friend.

“You don’t want to know. Also, you have to play a convincing bodyguard and not a guy who’s in love with me for the next two weeks so we don’t take the spotlight away from Brooklyn. She got very upset at the thought of me having a life that in any way seemed better than hers so, I can’t wear my ring.” I tell him, even though my finger practically aches without it.

He kisses the spot on my hand where it would be. He pulls a chain from under his shirt and shows me his ring that’s next to mine.

I smile a real smile for the first time all day and lean over to give him a kiss.

I’m staying at the Ritz because I’m just a bit bougie and they’re very nice and very accommodating to all my celebrity needs.

A few people see me in the lobby and Kaiden activates himself into protection mode as I sign a few autographs and take a few pictures.

One of my favorite parts of fame is how sweet everyone is when they meet me. How they genuinely like my movies and appreciate the work I put into my roles. It validates me in a way I wish my family would. I barely hear any praise for my work from them. Passing sentences and congratulations but nothing noteworthy. 

I always ask my fans their names and where they are from so they have a semblance that I care about how much they care about me. I end with hugs for everyone and let Kaiden escort me to the elevator.

The ride was two minutes and we were panting by the time the door opened to our floor.

We race to the room and get into the presidential suite with a balcony and private room service.

An hour and a half later, Kaiden is kissing me before he goes downstairs to check my messages.

Nick enters the Ritz and looks around carefully. 

It’s huge and beautiful on the inside. He figures it would be easier to ask someone where Serena is staying rather than just go looking for her himself.

“Excuse me. My name is Nicholas Rosen, I’m Serena Lee’s brother and I’m just wondering where her room is.” Nick asks the concierge who looks completely unmoved by his presence.

“I’m unsure of who you’re speaking of sir, perhaps a different hotel,”

Kaiden looks at Nick, eyebrows fixed together.

“No, I’m sure this is the right hotel. Serena is an actress, she’s very well known and I am married to her sister, she told me to come here.”

“I’m sorry sir, we don’t give out guests information, now if you’ll please,” She says, ushering him away from the desk.

Nick backs up, breathing out through his nose and looking around.

Kaiden narrows his eyes. He smells a rat. He thanks the man he’s talking to and walks over to where Nick is still looking around.

“You must be Nick,” Kaiden says. Nick turns around and looks up at the taller man. He swallows under the weight of Kaiden’s incredibly hard gaze.

“Y-yeah, who are you?”

“I’m Serena’s bodyguard,” 

“Oh,” Nick mutters, woefully unprepared for that.

“Yeah, why are you looking for her?”

“I just wanted to talk to her,”

“About what?”

Nick frowns, standing up straighter and adjusting his jacket.

“That’s not your business. She’s my sister in law,”

Kaiden takes a step into Nick’s face, Nick backs up a little bit.

“Oh yeah? She’ll see you tomorrow. Go back home to your wife.” Kaiden says, walking away without another word and back to the elevator. 

“I just want to talk to her for a quick second–” 

Kaiden’s jaw clenches as he takes another step in Nick’s face, forcing him to take a step back.

“Leave, now and do not let me catch you sneaking back in here. You and Serena don’t have anything to discuss.” Kaiden growls at him, his fists clenched tightly with the effort to keep them restrained.

Kaiden leaves without another word to Nick.

A minute later, Nick is asked to leave the property and he does without a fuss.

Kaiden doesn’t tell Serena about his encounter.

2. Serena

I left the hotel early that next morning on Day Three of my trip and was informed by Kaiden that I will have a new, more private place to stay when we left for my mom’s.

I do not concern myself with my more questions as to why that is because whatever it is, it's clearly a threat to my safety because his jaw has been tight all morning and his sunglasses are on. And when I can’t see his eyes, it’s because he’s incredibly focused on protecting me.

It’s hot.

We arrive at my house a little past nine and since there are more people here, Kaiden is looking around the entire perimeter of the house and neighborhood again.

The door swings open and Nick is standing there with a glass of orange juice and a growing smile.

“Serena, good morning. I was hoping you’d come early, I need to talk to yo–”

Kaiden appears behind me almost immediately and Nick’s smile drops quicker than I’ve ever seen.

He blinks, clearing his throat and opening the door wider.

“Welcome,” He says instead of whatever he was going to say. 

We step inside and I’m immediately thrown into several hugs from the family members who also ask me for money, and the two who don’t because they have husbands who love and provide for them.

Everyone is bombarding me with questions about my travels, different people they’ve seen me with and whatever else they can come up with before my sister is clapping her hands and bringing everyone’s attention to her.

Very thankful for that. Kaiden is by my side a second later, giving me a reassuring hip squeeze. His glasses are still on and he’s not paying any attention to the way my Moms sisters are unabashedly ogling him.

“It’s time for breakfast everyone, then me and Nick , have something we want to share with everyone.”

Great, breakfast is early so I can plot my escape immediately after, I cannot very well be here for too long if I intend to keep my sanity.

“Say the word and we’ll leave.” Kaiden whispers in my ear as we’re all going outside to the backyard where there’s a mini buffet.

I swear this man can read my mind.

The table is long with two chairs at the end which I’m guessing are for the bride and groom and the rest are spread down either side of the table. There are floral arrangements of my sister’s favorite Calalilly, some ocean decor like seashells and mermaid fins and as I look around more, it looks like this entire backyard is decorated like some kind of insane looking fish tank. There are mermaid decorations with light blue balloons and stringers everywhere. There’s a cupcake table to the left of the buffet and a fish bowl punch bowl to the right.

If I didn’t have all my marbles, I would think this was a baby shower.

“Is this a baby shower, Brooke?” My Moms oldest sister, Aunt Wanda, exclaims from where she’s standing by the cupcake table.

“No Aunt Wanda, this is a wedding shower, I got married!” She shows her ring to everyone and they all start cheering. Hugging and showering the bride and groom with love. 

Kaiden and I exchange a look and find a seat.

“Oh Serena, aren’t you happy for your sister?” Aunt Wanda says as she for some reason decides to sit on the other side of me.

I crack a small smile. “Of course, she told me last night.”

“Nick’s kind of cute, isn’t he? She did a good job.” My other Aunt Regina states as she sits next to Wanda.

I do not respond to that question.

My Aunt Regina looks at Kaiden as he sits with his arms crossed. She smirks at him.

“Who are you, handsome? Are you Serena’s boyfriend?”

Kaiden takes the deep breath he always takes before he has to lie, something he hates doing.

“He’s my bodyguard.” I say, patting his knee. 

He sighs in what I know is relief and winks at me even though I can’t see it, I know he does.

“Oh, well then I have someone for you. You’re too cute to be alone.” She says, referring to my cousin who’s on her fourth baby and is looking for someone to take care of her. I snort.

“Déjame en paz, vieja.” Kaiden says to her in Spanish before he gets up to go to the buffet table.

My Aunt’s are swooning over him, thinking he doesn’t speak English when he actually just insulted them for insulting him. He knows every detail on these people so the nerve of them is actually hilarious.

Kaiden brings me a plate of everything he knows I eat and nods at me. Which means he checked the food for poison and it is okay to eat.

Overprotective, I know.

“Everyone,” Oh God, Nick is about to say something.

“I have something I’d like to say.” He’s looking right at me.

Nick smiles, scanning the entire table before his eyes land on my sister and he takes her hand.

“First, thank you all for welcoming me to your lovely family. I truly hope to be on all of your good sides by the end of the day and know that you can call on me if you need anything. I don’t have a lot of family so I already feel very loved and welcome,”

“I have a speech prepared, it won’t be long, I promise,” Kill me now.

He pulls out a piece of paper, unfolding it and then looking right at me again.

“To Brooklyn, I love you with all my heart, my soul and my being. My entire world revolves around you and it is my intention to make you the happiest I can by being the best husband ever,” 

Brooklyn looks like she’s going to cry, my family is being dramatic with her and I seem to be the only one who’s noticing that he keeps fucking looking at me.

My throat feels very dry and I can feel my breathing become heavier.

“You are light, love and triumph. Everything you do, everything you are. From your talent to your beauty, you’re a dream come true, and I’m not even worthy to be standing here today,” 

I feel like I’m going to throw up and faint all at once. I close my eyes and try to pretend this isn’t happening while also trying to fucking breathe.

I don’t want to cause a scene, not right now.

But Nick is…he’s mocking me.

That was the first thing he said to me when I finally approached him 4 years ago. He spent two full weeks giving me compliments that sounded out of this world like the ones he’s currently repeating to my sister. Word for fucking word.

I feel like I’m going to be sick. I’m sweating under my sweater and the air around me feels deadly.

My family is cheering, my sister is throwing herself into Nick’s arms and I use that opportunity to get up and go back into the house.

Kaiden is hot on my trails but I need one singular minute. 

I lock myself in the bathroom and heave out a breath I’d been holding for way too long.

I also, throw the fuck up.

This is sick, all of this and I can’t do this for the next two weeks, I simply cannot. It’s enough being around my family with their subtle belittlement, mooching and overwise annoyance but with Nick here, physically here and my sister fawning over him like he isn’t obsessed with me.

The consequences of my actions have never led me to a full blown panic attack like this. I have to keep it together. I am the only one at fault here, I did this to myself and I have to live with it. I have to accept the fact that my sister loves him and I can’t mess that up. Her dating life is bad enough, our relationship is holding on by a very thin thread and damnit, I can’t fucking breath.

“Sweetheart, let me in, let me help you.” Kaiden’s voice says on the other side of the bathroom door that I’m leaning against.

I hadn’t turned the light on so I know I look like an idiot that’s hyperventilating in the dark when I finally open the door.

Kaiden’s glasses are off so I can see the obvious worry in his big brown eyes.

“What’s wrong, doll? Take a deep breath.” He says in a hushed tone, coming into the bathroom and pulling me into a chest tightening hug.

I can feel him breathing slowly, trying to get me to match him. 

We’re two idiots in the dark, doing yoga breathing and I’m being borderline smothered by chest pecs.

“I can’t fucking do this,” Is the first thing out of my mouth when I finally feel myself relax.

“Do what?” He asks.

I detach from him and rub a hand over my face. He flicks on the light and my brown skin is very pale. I didn’t even know I was crying as I saw eyeliner streak down my cheeks.

“Fucking hell, this, all of this with my family. With Nick here, I just can’t. It’s too weird. We should leave when the week is over. I cannot and will not do two full weeks of this,” I say, as Kaiden is dabbing my face with a towel.

I can feel myself about to cry again and mess up all his hard work.

“He’s not going to come near you my love, alright? I’m here to make sure of that.”

I want to punch the mirror just to feel any other pain than the one currently circulating in my chest.

“But you can’t control what he says Kai, everything he said to my sister, his fucking wife is exactly what he said to me when I gave him my number all those years ago. Word for word and looking at me the whole time,”

My fist is balled up, I am so angry.

My lip is quivering as Kaiden takes my face in his hands and tilts my head up.

“I don’t want to ruin this for her. She says I ruin all her special moments because of my status and I want her to be happy but why, why does it have to be with him? Of all the mistakes I made so she wouldn’t have to, why this one? Why is this one coming back to bite me? Why was I stupid and insecure enough to do this in the first place–?” There’s a knock on the door.

I curse this house for having windowless bathrooms.

“Serena? Brooklyn asked me to check on you, she said you might be sick and she knows how squeamish she is,” 

I’m not one to wish death on someone but God sakes, I want him to drop dead.

Kaiden and I exchange deep breaths..

He opens the door and from where I’m hiding, I can see Nick’s little smirk fall instantly.

“Oh? I thought you were–”

Kaiden flips off the light and shuts the door even though I’m still in here.

“Serena went to the car, she should be right back. Go away.” He commands.

Nick straightens up even though he is absolutely no match for my man, though he attempts to look taller and tougher.

“You don’t scare me, you know? Serena and I have history, I’m sure you know.”

“Unfortunately for you, I do, which will make your disappearance that much sweeter for me when I finally kill you and bury you in a hole so deep, a dog won’t even be able to sniff you out.” 

From the crack in the door, I can see Nick gulp.

“I’m not going to tell you again to leave her alone,” Kaiden says in a voice I’ve never heard him use.

“Look, I’m not stupid, I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my marriage, I just want–”

“Oh my God, I do not care what you want. You two have a history that I’m sure you want to keep Brooklyn out of because it’ll embarrass you far more than it’ll embarrass Serena, so mind yourself Nicholas Rosen or I’ll put your face on a T-Shirt.” Kaiden growls at him.

Nick looks like he wants to say something but Kaiden is almost daring him with the look on his face.

He walks away instead, looking like a sad kitten.

What is with this guy?

Kaiden waits until he can no longer see him and opens the bathroom door for me to come out.

“I’m sorry you had to see that–” I cut him off with a deep kiss. I know he gets paid to defend me but I don’t think of that. I only think of a man who’s deeply in love with me defending me against a mistake I feel like I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting. That regret stings terribly but Kaiden wraps me in his arms like a bandaid and all feels right in the world for a few seconds. 

I don’t need to thank him, he hates being thanked.

We leave shortly after that, saying goodbye and blaming it on meetings that I don’t actually have.

We spent the rest of the evening in the pool at the private residence he booked that has cameras, an electric fence and no neighbors.

I finally feel at peace for once on this trip.

3. Nick

That stupid bodyguard better be glad I can’t sue him for threatening me because I would.

Hear me out for one second.

I have absolutely no intention of hurting Serena. I do not want to hurt her because I love her.

God and I know how sick it sounds but she has been gone for four years and this is the only way I could get her attention.

I did meet Brooklyn at a Museum but only because she posts every little thing about her life and what she’s going to be doing that it was easy to track her down after finding out Serena had a sister.

Brooklyn is great, if you like lazy, airheaded, spoiled brats then sure.

I’m lucky I make good money or this plan would have fallen completely through.

Brooklyn is like many women in their mid twenties with a lot to prove and nothing else going for you except what you can offer. She wanted marriage and she wanted it before her sister so she could prove she’s better in just one way.

She is not.

She does not compare to Serena at all.

Serena is like air. A breath of fresh air and passion and light, she’s everything and she didn’t even give me a real chance.

Granted, she did give me the best hour of my life one night four years ago and I foolishly thought that would be enough. I told her it would be and I truly thought it would.

But you can never have one thing so good and give it up forever. No one can.

I would never say anything, I’d never harm her celebrity status. I love her movies, I love her career and how much she puts into it because she truly loves it and she’s so real about it. It almost hurts how much I truly want her and she looks at me like I did something wrong, like my love for her is just wrong.

My love for her didn’t start out this way, I really truly didn’t think it would get to this. I never thought I’d have a chance, forever doomed to love her from behind a screen through my fan page.

But the heart emoji she sent me after I thanked her for her care package was everything to me. It was proof that maybe she could want me too. I wasn’t the only one who received a care package but I was the only one who got a reply to their DM.

I only started following her around because she came to live in NYC and it was so close to me that I thought why not. I never thought she’d actually talk to me or give me her number, I never thought I’d have a chance to woo her.

If she’d just let me talk to her, just once, I know I could convince her like I did all those years ago. 

I’d make the perfect husband to her, she’d never have to worry about anything and I’d find her a bodyguard that was much better than that huge dinosaur she has protecting her. 

She checked out of her hotel. I know this because I’ve been tracking her phone from Brooklyn’s while she sleeps.

She’s somewhere private and secluded which is good, too many creeps at hotels.

I gently slip out of bed, looking at Brooklyn to make sure she's still knocked out and tip toe out to the car.

I figure Serena is alone and I can find her room without waking Mr Hardass. Then I can talk to her and convince her to be with me. 

Full proof plan.

The drive is at least half an hour and I park as far away as I can without being seen.

I walk what feels like a mile before I reach the gate.

From my experience with gates, this one is electric and I won’t be able to get in this way. Surely there’s a back way.

I scour the entire property and finally find a steel gate I can climb over. It takes me a few tries but I finally get it, falling flat on my face in the grass once I get over it. 

A little dirt never hurt anyone. I check my watch with the camera installed in Brooklyn and I’s bedroom to make sure she’s still asleep before I tiptoe around the house to find Serena’s room.

This property is beautiful, it’s like a giant garden and I can see why she chose it.

There’s a giant window that looks into half of the house and I see her.

I crouch down behind a bush as I watch her walk into the living room. She’s wearing a T-Shirt that fits her like a dress, Grinch socks and holding a bowl of something. 

Fuck, she’s so gorgeous. Her silk press is still perfect despite the humidity, her face is glowing as well as her skin and she’s laughing at something…

My eyes trail across the room to see the Bodyguard, who’s name I do not know because he hasn’t said. I fucking hate this guy.

He’s shirtless and man-spreading on the couch in what looks like pajamas.

Isn’t he supposed to be protecting her, why is he dressed for bed? 

They’re laughing about something and I wish I could hear what it was. He doesn’t seem like he’s very funny but I know she is. Her dry humor is one of my favorite things about her.

She crosses the room over to him and plants herself directly in his lap. His hand instantly circle her waist to pull her closer and then they–

God, I’m going to be sick.

How can she kiss this loser, doesn’t she have standards? How cliche to be kissing your bodyguard, this isn’t a romance novel, she needs a real man.

I wait impatiently for them to stop kissing but they don’t. His hands travel all over her body, dipping under her shirt and she makes a face I’ve seen before.

Oh so they are sleeping together. 

It feels sick to watch them but I can’t take my eyes off her face. God I missed it.

I dream about the faces she made for me during that hour of time we spent together. If she’d slept over, I would have seen more.

Her mouth agape, eyes glassy and rolled back, I can almost hear her moans from here and I can feel myself twitch.

I can’t no, not here, I’m just waiting for a moment for her to be alone.

That doesn’t look like it’s happening anytime soon as I watch him sit her on him. He makes a face I don’t look at as I focus on her.

Four years ago comes rushing through my mind like a flash and I can’t even help myself. It’s dark, no one can see me so I can’t be judged.

I time my wrist flicks in time with her bouncing and close my eyes. I can picture myself in her bodyguard's place. I’ve been in his place, I was there first.

I wonder how that makes him feel, knowing I know every crack and crevice of her body probably better than he does. That I learned more in an hour than he could probably learn in a lifetime about it.

I can feel the edge approaching and I hope they’re about done too but Mr Bodyguard flips their positions and I can no longer see them behind the couch cushions.

Great. Way to edge me.

It goes on for what feels like forever before I hear a scream.

Mr Bodyguard leans up with a satisfied smirk that I want to smack off his overly handsome face and then I see her again.

She’s grinning wider than I’ve ever seen and he gets her a glass of water and a towel. 

A few more minutes go by and they leave the room and go into another room. 

I hope for about an hour that she’ll come back out once and I can act quickly but she doesn’t. The lights in the living room go out on their own and I accept defeat and drive back.

I don’t sleep a wink that night and when Brooklyn hands me my coffee the next morning, it takes all I have not to scream in utter madness and devastation.

I have to figure this out before the official wedding next week, I cannot go through with this.

4. Serena

The next three days are full of wedding plans, arguments, and tantrums.

I wasn’t even shocked when my mother asked me to contribute to the wedding funds since Brooklyn doesn’t make enough to cover everything she wants.

I tell her with a completely serious look in my eyes that I will not be doing that. This leads to a fight between me and my mom that happens every year about how selfish I am, how they did everything they could to get me to where I am today and I should share the wealth.

Brooklyn got involved, there were tears (not from me) and now I’ve taken a xanax and am eating ice cream at my rental. My feet are in Kaiden’s lap being massaged, there’s a movie on that I vaguely recognize and I’ve made a decision.

“I have to tell Brooklyn,” I say to myself and to Kaiden.

He pauses his massaging and looks up at me, eyebrow raised.

“I thought you wanted to keep it to yourself, to cause less drama?”

Yes, that was the original plan but seeing Brooklyn and Nick makes me want to vomit. 

The voice in the back of my mind keeps telling me that he’s using her to get to me and as much as Brooklyn and I don’t get along, she doesn’t deserve to tie her life to a creep. Even though she technically already has, there’s still time to annul and everyone walks away clean.

“I can’t bare the thought of Brooklyn being married to and procreating with someone I can barely be in the same room with. Someone who’s made it his goal in life to make it known how obsessed he is with me and apparently has not let that go. Even though I, the fool in the equation, thought that my deed would do that.”

Kaiden squeezes my foot in sympathy. 

“I can be there when you tell her, just in case she tries to beat you up or something,”

I shrug. “If anything, she’ll probably just be upset that I had him first even though that’s sick, it will be her thought process. He won’t be faulted at all.” Fuck I can feel my lip quivering. I don’t win in any scenario. I either get stuck with a creep for a brother in law or my sister is mad at me for all eternity.

I was never destined to win apparently.

Kaiden wipes the tear that I tried very hard to ignore and pulls me into his lap.

Before I know it, I’m sobbing into his shoulder and he’s kissing my face and reassuring me in the softest voice I’ve ever heard him use.

I pull back, knowing my face is a bit swollen and my eyes probably look bloodshot, he still looks at me like I’m the literal inventor of the universe.

“Are you sure you want to marry into this mess?” I mutter, looking at the rings around his neck that I can see through his shirt.

He chuckles, kissing my forehead and pulling me back in so he can hold me.

“Corazon, I am not marrying your family, I am only marrying you. I do not give a fuck about your family. You’re not them, you’re not the mess they drag you into and most importantly, you’re not your mistakes,”

God that feels so good to hear.

“You have grown, you have changed, you have found the love within yourself now. Almost thirty years old, you would not make the same mistakes twenty four year old you would’ve made. You’re better. Some people never get that, they never get that change, that growth within them and yet you did and I am so proud of you. I’m also so proud of you for sticking up for yourself and your family even though it might backfire. You’re doing a good thing, doll, please believe that.” He tells me and I fall in love with him all over again. It’s so hard not to when he says beautiful shit like that.

I look at him and there are tears on his lash line. He loves me way too much.

“I love you very much.” Is all I can say to him. He sniffs, wiping his eyes and smiling.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” He kisses my forehead.

The next day, I’m standing outside in the garden of my mothers home, pretending to water what I think is crabgrass while my sister is breaking down the plans for next Saturday.

Her bridesmaids are here, there are three and I, for some strange ass reason, am the maid of honor. 

I have no honor, I’m not sure why I agreed.

I spent hours there, Kaiden too. When he steps back to the other side of the house to take a business call, that’s when Nick shows up.

All the girls fawn over him as he passes out food he bought to each of them.

He gives my sister a kiss and a hug as his eyes search for me until they find me.

Fucking great.

It’s been a miracle that I’ve managed to escape seeing him for the past two days and now here he is handing me a bag of food.

“I brought your favorite, from that Jamaican spot down on the Plaza.” He’s smiling brightly like he did a good thing. His eyes trail over my entire body before remeeting my eyes.

I point the hose in my hand in his direction and raise my eyebrows. It only sprays when I press the little button so he better back up.

“I don’t want it.”

His creepy smile remains. “Come on, I know you’re hungry, you’ve been here all day. Barely any food at that rental I know and you’ve been on the West Coast so I know you missed it,” He swings the bag of food in my face like I’m some sort of rat.

He can’t possibly think I missed what he said.

“What rental?” I grit through my teeth.

He chuckles. “Where you’re staying. Not sure why you traded the Ritz for that place, you love that hotel more than–”

“How the fuck do you know where I’m staying?” I’m trying really hard to keep my voice down since my sister and her friends are a few feet away from us.

Nick blinks at me.

“You’re not that hard to find, Serena.” 

That one sentence makes my blood run cold.

He is not going to stop, he’s going to make this as difficult for me as he possibly can.

Even if that means committing his life to being my sister’s husband so he can have access to me.

“Speaking of, we desperately need to talk, preferably before the wedding–”

“No,” I spray him and he jumps back. My composure is slipping.

“Get,” Spray. 

“Away,” Spray.

“From me,” Spray spray spray.

“Serena, what the hell?” Brooklyn asks, pushing Nick behind her and staring down at me with an angry look in her eyes.

The wedding party is silent as they stare at me. I’m shaking. I know I am as my finger hovers over the spray button, jaw clenched tightly.

“Why are you spraying him?” Brooklyn asked, handing Nick a towel as I remained frozen.

“Accident,” I mutter before dropping the hose all together and going into the house.

Ten minutes later, there’s a hand on my shoulder that makes me jump and it’s Brooklyn.

“Again I say, what the hell?” She crosses her arms. I look around and it seems like everyone is gone. Including Nick. I can finally breathe.

“Okay Brooklyn, I’m sorry but I have to tell you something,”

She rolls her eyes, sitting across from me in the love seat.

“Will it explain all your weird ass behavior the last few days?” She asks in that already annoyed voice.

“Yes.” I tell her.

The attitude from her face falls, as do her arms from her chest.

“Oh. Go ahead then.”

I feel like throwing up but I have to get this out before this goes any further.

“Remember a few years ago before I moved to LA, I told you and Mom about a guy that was sort of stalking me. He followed me to yoga classes, the coffee shop, showed up outside of the theater and various sets I was on?”

Brooklyn nods, her arms crossing again.

“Yeah, you said he seemed harmless but was really fucking weird and creepy.”

“Yeah. He’s Nick.” I said straight up, no sense in continuing these games.

She blinks, then frowns. “Who?”

No one is this dense.

“Nick, he’s the weird guy who used to stalk me. Made fan pages about me, literally followed me almost everywhere.”

Brooklyn doesn’t say anything. She stares at me with a very emotionless expression, her eyes not blinking, she doesn’t even look like she’s breathing.

I swallow, fearing that she didn’t even hear me and I’ll be forced to repeat myself.

And then she laughs.

My turn to blink.

Her laugh gets louder, it's almost sinister.

“Thank God.” She mutters, shaking her shoulders out and rolling her neck.

What?

“What?” I say.

“Bout fucking time, this was getting so exhausting,” She says, taking the ring off her ringer and putting it on the coffee table.

I stare at it then at her because maybe I’m the dense one.

“What was?” I ask even though I’m actually terrified of the answer.

“Fucking this! Pretending and all this wedding shit. Nick is fucking obsessed with you, I know that.”

I swallow hard. My mind cannot compute what is happening here. My throat is very dry, the air around me is shifting and I feel dizzy.

“But you…you married him.” Because that did happen or at least that’s what she told me, told our family.

She nods. “Right, technically yeah but then I didn’t send the marriage certificate. I was hoping you’d come to me before the wedding and I’m so glad you did.”

What the fuck?

“So you knew he stalked me and you–”

She groans loudly, rubbing a hand over her face.

“Before you kill youself trying to come up with an answer, let me help. You slept with Nick, four years ago before you jetted off to become an international Oscar Award winning actress.”

“How do you–”

“On our third date, he invited me to his place and I made the very grave mistake of going into his weirdo movie room. Where not only did I find a mini shrine of you and your likeness, I also found an NDA and a calendar of the exact time and place y’all slept together. Apparently it was only for an hour, once, at the Plaza in NYC. I took pictures of that info, all of it before he caught me and screamed bloody murder at me,”

I can’t even speak, I’m not sure I know any words.

“Why?” Is the only thing my brain can manage.

Brooklyn rolls her eyes. “Because, you stopped sending me and mom money. Bills are due, credit card payments are over and we need someone to pay them. I figured you didn’t want everyone to find out about this, right? That you, a golden child of black representation in the media, don’t want your fans and all of the world to know that you slept with a creep hoping it would make you leave him alone, even though that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Your dumbass believed that lie and gave it up and if you don’t keep giving me money, I’m going to tell everyone about it and ruin your career so badly, you’ll be down here in the middle class again with us.”

Of all the outcomes that I thought were possible from me telling her, this is not one of them.

Brooklyn laughs. “It feels really good to get that off my chest, Nick is a true weirdo. He’s sweet and hot so I see why you slept with him but damn I was getting tired of this act.” She stands up.

“I’m telling mom,” I say.

Brooklyn scoffs. “Oh please, mom helped me plan this shit. She’s already got a plan to tell everyone that the relationship is over and the wedding is off without causing too much of a riff or having too many questions.”

I feel my soul leave my body. 

Brooklyn makes her way back to the backyard. With tears in my eyes, I follow her.

“Nick has an NDA, he can’t talk about it or I can take everything he owns,”

Brooklyn laughs evilly again.

“Yes, Nick has an NDA. I, Brooklyn Lee, have no such thing and anything I find out through my own research is mine to spill. And don’t even fix your mouth to ask me to sign one because you know I won’t.” She starts cleaning up the table of what I now know to be fake memorabilia for her fake wedding.

I wonder if her friends knew how truly evil she is.

“You’re blackmailing me, I’m your sister!” I cry, tearfully. I can’t believe she’d do this.

Actually. Yes I can. This is totally something she’d do.

“I’m not blackmailing you sis, I’m giving you a choice. An easy one really. Consistent payments or I ruin your career,”

“Y’all wanted me to do this career, mom put me in this, she didn’t give me a choice–”

“And you’re rich because of it. Your freaking net worth is almost fifteen million. Split three ways, we each retain five a year, that sounds so doable to me and to mom. It’s selfish that you don’t share with us.”

“Because y’all don’t do any of the work! I’m on set everyday, sixteen hours a day, busting my ass to do this, to create and you two don’t even watch my shit! How dare you demand this of me?”

Brooklyn slams her hand on the table. A glass falls, shattering in the process.

“How dare I?! How dare you ignore our messages and asks the past few years! You’re our family, you’re supposed to provide when you make the most. I would do it if I were in your shoes–”

“Thank fucking God you’re not since you’re a talentless, classless asshole who throws a tantrum when she can’t get her fucking way! Who has to sleep with someone who stalked their sister just to get some money!” I shout at her, my blood boiling over.

“You slept with him too, you insecure slut!” Brooklyn shouts back at me, throwing a plate at my head. I duck and it hits the wall.

Kaiden is around the corner in the backyard in no less than three seconds after the impact.

“We can continue this later, my wife needs me,” He tells whoever is on the phone and hangs up.

“What’s going on?” He asks me, pulling me to his side and looking at my tear stained face.

“Oh, so you’re a slut and a liar. I thought this was your bodyguard,” Brooklyn says. I barely hear her through the anger bleeding from my ears.

“I’m her bodyguard and her fiancée, you stupid puta, now what is going on?”

“What you call me, you fucking overgrown pho bowl?”

Kaiden’s neck snaps to look at her. “I’ll kill you with my bare fucking hands, what the fuck did you do to her?” He snaps at her.

I put my hand on his chest. I’m going to do something drastic if he doesn’t get me out of here.

All I have to do is look up at him and his face softens.

“Okay, yeah, let’s go. We’re leaving. And we will not be back for the wedding,” Kaiden says to Brooklyn as he’s getting me out of there.

“There isn’t gonna be a wedding, dipshit! Serena, remember our agreement!” I hear Brooklyn say as Kaiden is putting me in the car.

I didn’t agree to shit.

He doesn’t ask me what she means, he just wraps his arms around me and peels out of there like the house is on fire.

I’ve been staring blankly at the wall of my rental for the last two hours.

Kaiden has managed to find all three of the cameras Nick placed in the house and smash them into little tiny pieces.

He’s been on the phone with his team trying to find a way to legal way get rid of Nick but there’s nothing.

Nick has never done anything criminal, he’s a very praised teacher and everyone speaks so highly of him. Even if I told the cops, they wouldn’t believe me because I already slept with him. His shrine means nothing, the cameras mean nothing, I would still lose.

Kaiden isn’t accepting that but there’s nothing I can do.

My sister wins. My mom wins. I’m their money slave until one of them decides to croak and I once again have no true family.

Kaiden told me killing myself is not an option because he doesn’t want to have to commit mass murder on my behalf.

I have to give them what they want.

“Kaiden,” I croak after what feels like forever since I used my voice. I barely recognize it.

He’s off the phone and by my side in seconds.

“It’s alright,” I say even though my heart does not agree.

He shakes his head.

“No love, no, they don’t get to win like this, they don’t get to blackmail you into paying for their lifestyle, that’s not fair,” He’s so upset by this, almost as upset as I am. He hated my family before even after I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt but now, there’s no going back.

“If I don’t, I lose everything I worked for, everything I am. I will be shunned or canceled, I don’t know how to do anything else! This, acting, being on stage, in the spotlight is what I’ve done my whole life and I will be miserable without it. I have to do this.” I tell him tearfully.

It’s like they planned this all along. Since my birth even though I’m older than Brooklyn by four years. It still feels like a plan against me that’s been brewing my whole life. It feels like even Nick was in on it.

Before I can say anything else, I hear my phone beep and it’s Brooklyn.

Hey, can we talk? I want to apoligize. -B

Blackmailing me and can’t even spell. The fucking audacity.

I stare at the message as if it wasn’t actually real. Kaiden looks at the phone.

“I’m coming with you if you want to go.” He tells me. I just nod.

I’m moving almost without my consent to the car to get in it.

I guess I can hear her out once before I leave for good.

Brooklyn’s house is not my favorite place. Mostly because it’s usually  fucking mess in there and she doesn’t bother to try and clean it herself before she hires someone. 

It takes me almost five minutes to convince Kaiden to stay in the car while I go in. 

“Okay but yell my name if you need me. I’ll be able to hear you.” He says.

I frown. My sister’s house isn’t small.

“No you won’t,”

He nods his head firmly. “Yes I will.”

“Kaiden, you’re not a dog,”

“I am when it comes to you and your safety.” He’s being so serious.

He’s hot so I chose to believe him.

I kiss him sweetly before getting out of the car and going into the house.

Kaiden turns the car off and sits on the hood of it.

I use my key because the doorbell doesn’t work and I enter the house.

“Brooklyn?” I call into her dark foyer.

No response.

I don’t have time for this.

“Brooklyn, I–” I stop as I see Nick appear in the hallway.

I’m never speaking to this bitch again.

“Where’s my sister?” I say, barging past him and into the living room.

Brooklyn is lying on the couch asleep over the armrest.

I go to shake her and she falls off the sofa. 

Is she drunk? Fucking hell.

“Brooklyn, wake up,”

“Serena, I need to talk to you–”

I whip my head around to stare at Nick. He looks exactly like he did earlier when I saw him. Same plaid shirt, same ugly glasses and dumb hair cut, I fucking hate this guy.

“What is it? What could you possibly fucking want, Nick? You people have drained me of every last ounce of basically everything from me so what the fuck is it?”

“You haven’t given me a chance to talk to you, please, just hear me out.” He says calmly.

I turn back to shake my sister who hasn’t moved an inch.

A part of my brain is telling me something but I’m too mad to hear it.

“I want another chance. I want to prove to you that I can be everything you want, everything you need,” Nick starts.

I scoff, barely hearing him from trying to get Brooklyn to wake up, or move but she doesn’t.

“Brooklyn?” I whisper.

Nothing.

I put my finger to her nose and my breathing freezes.

I check her pulse.

Nothing.

I can’t move.

“Oh my God,” I mutter, it’s barely a whisper.

“Serena, please–”

“What the fuck did you do?” I scream at him. 

“She told me what she did to you, what she was going to do, how she was using me. I was so disgusted with her, you’re her sister,”

“So you killed her?! Are you insane?!”

He puts his hands up. “Hear me out, please.” 

I have to get out of here. I try to push past him and he grabs my arm. He’s too strong and eventually, I end up against the wall.

I’m too far from the door for me to yell and even if I try, nothing comes out.

I’m officially scared.

I look down at my sister's lifeless body and wonder if I’m next if I don’t hear him out.

“Okay, okay, please don’t hurt me.” I beg. I can’t cry in front of him but I do not want to die like this.

He relaxes but doesn’t relax his grip.

“I would never hurt you,” He whispers, stroking my cheek and smiling.

He pulls me further down the hall to a room.

I look around with blurry vision to see pictures of myself everywhere. All of my movie posters are hung up on the walls around a giant flat screen TV that has a screensaver of me winning my Oscar on it.

He’s smiling, so proud of his weird ass shrine. I have the sudden urge to commit arson.

“Serena, please. I know I said I would leave this alone but I can’t. You’re too special, what we had was too special. I want you to give me another chance. Can’t you see how much I adore you, I would never do anything to hurt you.”

I shake my head, wiping the tears from my eyes so I don’t look as weak as I feel.

“No, no, this is sick, this is an obsession, you need help, Nick.”

His smile only grows at the sound of his name leaving my lips.

“I only need you,” He says to me.

I shake my head more. “You killed my sister, I can’t–” I’m getting choked up, fuck I need to get out of here.

“Kaiden,” It barely comes out as a whisper.

Nick’s smile drops. He takes a step towards me and I step back.

“He can’t protect you, he’s a shitty bodyguard and a bad human! Do you know he’s killed people? He had a very high kill rate in the military, he’s a psycho. He can’t protect you like I can. Look what I’ve done for you, Brooklyn will never hurt you again.”

Nick takes another step towards me, I take another back.

A sob strains from my throat.

Nick runs to wrap his arms around me but I push him.

“All of this is sick! You’re sick and I will never, ever give you another chance, I would rather die, you can kill me right now and leave my body to rot with my sister because I will never give you another chance!” I yell at him, struggling in his grasp. He’s very strong, his grip on me only tightens.

He shakes his head. “You don’t mean that,”

“I do,” I interrupt.

“You don’t or you wouldn’t have slept with me–”

“I was an idiot. An insecure idiot who’d never been loved, who didn’t have any self love or self respect, who thought like an idiot that maybe it would help you move on once you finally got what you wanted and I wouldn’t have to fucking deal with you anymore. It was stupid and I regret ever coming near you!” I scream, stepping hard on his foot so he releases me and taking off towards the front door.

I barely make it through the hallway before Nick is grabbing my hair and pulling me back. He covers my mouth before I can scream and drags me into his weird ass room, slamming the door.

He’s standing over me, a syringe in his hand that appeared from the ether and he looks a lot like the person I have recurring nightmares about.

I’m terrified, shaking and about to piss myself but I can’t back down.

“You don’t mean that. You love yourself, you love me I know you do–”

“I don’t!”

He climbs on top of me, pressing his weight into me, his teeth gritted as he holds the syringe to my neck, seconds away from giving me an air embolism and killing me.

I welcome it at this point.

“I will tell everyone what we did! Every fucking detail, I’ll post the video and ruin you so you have no choice but to be with me!”

“You signed an NDA dumbass, you blab and I will bleed you dry!”

He reaches over, getting a stack of paper and shoving it in my face.

“Expired six months ago! I can tell the world about us but damnit Serena, I don’t want to, I don’t want to hurt you but I love you so much and–”

“KAIDEN!” I screech loudly, using all of my weight to push Nick off me and bolt for the fucking door.

I get it open and see Kaiden standing in the doorway of Brooklyn’s house.

Nick gets up and stands behind me, pulling me to his chest and putting the syringe to my neck.

“Get out of here you! I will kill us both so we can be where we're supposed to be, together! She is mine and you can’t have her!” Nick screams at Kaiden.

Kaiden’s face remains completely still, eyes fixed on where Nick is holding my life in his hands.

His military training is not a secret. I know all about it.

Kaiden blinks, cocking his head to the side and I elbow Nick in the face so he lets me go.

I take off running to Kaiden who pushes me out of the front door and closes it behind me.

He locks it and the lights go off.

I run to the car to catch my breath and really analyze what the fuck just happened.

My sister didn’t deserve that. I can’t help but think after everything she did and said to me that she still didn’t deserve that. I was alone with her here and I’m even more alone now. 

I also barely escaped from this man with my life, God forbid I’d come here alone. What if I hadn’t called Kaiden when I got here? Would I have ended up like Brooklyn? Would she not have even ended up dead if she didn’t tell Nick about the blackmail?

So many questions run through my mind and I’m so distracted that I barely notice Kaiden coming back outside and getting into the car.

I look at him and he looks at me.

His jaw is clenched, his brown eyes look distant and he holds out his hand.

I take it.

“I’m never going to let anyone hurt you.” He whispers, kissing my palm. That was the first thing he said to me after I told him about me and Nick, five seconds before he asked me to be his girlfriend.

I burst into a fresh set of tears on his shoulder as he pulled out of the driveway.

Two weeks later

The double funeral is nice.

My mom is crying but Nick’s mom is louder than her.

She almost jumped in the casket as they closed it, screeching like a banshee while the pastor prayed over him.

I roll my eyes behind my sunglasses.

Murder-Suicide. That’s what the police called it on the news. Apparently Brooklyn was seeing another man, Nick got jealous and strangled her, before sticking a needle in his neck, killing him instantly.

They didn’t find a single picture of me in that house.

My mom called me when they found them and of course, somehow, I’m to blame.

I had to fly back to the East Coast for this funeral I barely wanted to attend so I don’t look suspicious as I mourn two people who were evil to me.

Brooklyn didn’t deserve this is what I think as I’m the first to toss dirt on her casket as she’s lowered into the ground. I’m not sad, I’m not happy, I’m numb. I can’t process this loss, not with how angry I still am at her.

I completely ignored Nick’s casket, my hand clasped tightly in Kaiden’s as we walked to stand by my mother. She’s shaking hands and accepting condolences that I don’t want.

Brooklyn’s Godparents walk away before she turns to me, a cold, hardened look on her tear stained face.

“This is all your fault,” She says through gritted teeth.

I roll my eyes, enough of this.

I reach into my purse and hand her a folded up paper. It’s a check for two million dollars.

She crumples it up in her hand. “You owe me so much more.” She says.

“I don’t owe you shit. Take it or leave it and never, ever contact me again.” I tell her finally, a weight lifting from my chest as I do so.

Kaiden takes my head and we walk away from the grounds.

The rest of my life, without regret, starts now.