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“Can’t or won’t?”

“Can’t,” she repeated with a slight shrug “I’ve tried to date I can’t get past the first date And even on the first date, I have full-on panic attacks I know it’s hard to understand, but inity didn’t mean what it used to mean to me

It’s not special or sacred It was a dark cloud over one That was ift, I can move back home, buy a house, and have the life I should have had before two assholes decided to ruin everything”

Rhys listened to the trees rustle in the breeze, unable to take his eyes off her He had seen people hurting before, and he could split the fro with it Zoey was the latter, and he found her awareness refreshing He’d been there once too Hell, he owned Phoenix because it was part of his recovery after Katherine passed away Her death was not easy; she fought death right to the end, and with her last breath, she screamed at the injustice of it all A sound that haunted him ever since

He’d opened Phoenix out of frustration and anger that Katherine’s life was cut short, with so many hopes, dreams, and desires unfulfilled Back then, he held back After Katherine died, he stopped holding back froton Finance, the coround to indulge his voyeuristic desires and to keep his eaer over Katherine’s death fading, he enjoyed what the club brought to others Freedo authentically

“So,” Zoey said after a long, deep breath, drawing Rhys fro your club for ains?”

He took a ht she was this hardened wo Pain hardened people Rhys had seen that happen to Katherine, and she never recovered Her cancer had created a hatred in Katherine that beca, and Rhys couldn’t pull her out of that darkness But Zoey wasn’t hardened She wouldn’t care if he was upset if she was “Upset, no, but I’d like to kno you ed all this How you not only found out about the club, but also et on the inside”

She shrugged and gave a sly sirl can never tell her secrets”

He gave that so, I need to understand how you breachedYou owe me that”

She watched hi his character as a couple strode by, hand in hand She ed, “I didn’t necessarily breach your security My rooator For the last year, we’ve been keeping an eye on Jake’s and Scott’s texts and emails”

“In hopes they’d say so?”

“You know, I don’t even really knohat I aiting for It’s like I knew to get ainst them, I had to keep tabs on them”

“And then you learned they were members of my club?”

She gave a slow nod “That’s where my other roommate, Hazel, came in She’s a reporter Good with research Between ed, “Elise hacked your systeet the passcode to fill out the application”

Unbelievable He stared at her, speechless