33

Olivia had let herself forget the kind of person she was. Drew had slowly ground her down, crushing the fire from her and leeching out the part of her that demanded she hurt those who hurt her back. But no longer.

She’d gotten her revenge, taking away the one thing Drew had prized above everything else: the admiration of those around him.

He was no longer a football player who’d died too early. He was no longer a young man who would be missed by all. He was nothing more than a stain on the Parker name and a shame that the Hoyas and the university would no longer want to be associated with.

And it had been more than worth it.

She’d hated the idea of having her secret exposed to the public, but she found the shame she’d expected to feel never came. She had nothing to be ashamed of. It was a relief to have that understanding settle into her bones.

And it was a relief to finally have the truth out there. She could only hope that the future she’d thought was over would now be in her grasp again. Finishing her degree. A good job. Nobody sending her messages saying they hoped she died and went to hell.

It was finally over, and Olivia felt like she could breathe again, even with the angry yells battering her skull. Drew was furious, and he’d done little more than scream and rage since the recording had started playing. Every shout and hissed swear was music to Olivia’s ears.

She was still furious at her parents, Chris, and the others, but they weren’t the ones who deserved her wrath. That position belonged only to Drew.

“Thanks for the lift,” Olivia said once Brady had pulled to a stop in front of the house.

He turned off the engine and turned to look at her. “You gonna be okay?”

A small smile played on her lips. She hadn’t felt this good since the night of the accident, maybe even for a while before that.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she replied before sighing. “How pissed do you think the dean will be?”

Brady chuckled. “Very.”

“I kind of feel bad for blindsiding him,” she admitted.

“Don’t,” Brady said. “He was going to dedicate a building to a drunk driver. He’s not exactly innocent.”

“True. I guess it all worked out how it was supposed to.” She rested a hand on his ridiculously large shoulder. “Thanks for always being there.”

He nodded, his eyes softening. “Keeping your secret with everything that was going on was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m just glad people can finally stop talking shit about you.”

She let out a short laugh. “Yeah, me too.”

You know it won’t stop. Some people will still blame you.

Olivia pursed her lips at the sound of Drew’s voice. She sighed and opened her door. “I better get going, but I’ll let you know later how it goes with my parents.”

They were the only ones who still needed to be filled in since they weren’t at the dedication ceremony. Olivia was sure Noah or Riley must have called them by then, but she would still need to face them before the exorcism.

Brady nodded. “Good luck.”

“Get home safe,” she said before jumping down from his truck. She closed the door and took a step back, waving as he pulled away.

Is he who you’ll replace Chris with?

Olivia bit the inside of her cheek. She’d enjoyed listening to Drew rant and rave at her, but he always found a way to ruin things.

“Who I date is none of your business,” she murmured after stepping through the gate that separated the driveway from the backyard.

Drew didn’t like her response much, but she ignored his complaints and increasingly angry barbs.

“I’ll kill you,” he seethed as she walked into the pool house. He appeared in front of her, his snarling face getting in her own.

Olivia lifted a brow and walked straight through him. “Good luck with that.”

“You know the accident wasn’t my fault,” he snapped. “We never would have crashed if you hadn’t hit me.”

“I don’t know that, actually,” Olivia replied, turning around to face him again. “You were so drunk you even forgot your rule about never leaving bruises on my face.”

She could still remember the pain that had shot through her nose when he’d grabbed her neck and smashed her face into the dashboard. She could still taste the blood and the shock.

She hadn’t felt very lucky that night, but Olivia knew she was fortunate it hadn’t been worse. She could have lost an eye. She could have died in the crash. She could have been tied to Drew forever in death, their souls connected by Brett’s spell.

“The accident was your fault,” she told him. “Your own family knows it, and now everyone else does, too.”

“Is that why you did all this?” he asked, taking a threatening step forward, though they both knew he couldn’t hurt her. Not anymore. “To clear your stupid name?”

“Partly,” Olivia acknowledged. “But making sure nobody ever thought of you in a positive light again was the biggest draw.”

“You’re the same brat you’ve always been,” he sneered. “Always attacking everyone else and playing the victim.”

Olivia had to roll her eyes at that. “I may have been a bit of a bratty teenager, but this wasn’t me throwing a tantrum.” She shook her head at him in disgust. “It was justice for everything you ever did to me.”

His nostrils flared. “You know I never wanted to hurt you,” he said, proving he’d never change. Not that she’d ever had any hope. “I love you, Olivia.”

She scoffed. “Maybe you actually believe that, but it’s not the kind of love I want.”

Drew’s lips twisted into a sneer. “And whatever Chris gave you was? He couldn’t even tell his parents about you.”

Olivia wished she could have punched the smug expression right off his face. She settled for using words instead. “Yet he was still a better boyfriend than you ever were.”

Drew’s expression became even more sour, but Olivia didn’t let him reply with more poisonous words.

“He never tried to push me into killing myself,” she reminded him with a glare. “I’d say that makes him a better catch.”

“You know I only wanted us to be together again,” he argued.

Olivia should have been used to how easily he twisted things to suit his narrative, but his statement still drew a disbelieving scoff from her. “Please. You wanted me to pay because you blame me for your death. You can wrap it in a nice bow and put whatever spin you want on it, but you wanted me to suffer along with you.”

His jaw tightened. “It wasn’t fair that you got to survive and move on,” he spat.

Olivia might have agreed with him a few weeks earlier, but now she just shook her head. “I’m sure you’ll make plenty of new friends in hell,” she told him before shrugging off her coat. “Maybe you and Amy can reunite there in a few decades.”

It was his turn to roll his eyes. “She meant nothing to me.”

“Just like all the other women?” Olivia asked him with a quirked brow. “One almost has to wonder why you slept with them then.” She chuckled darkly. “But you and I both know you just wanted your ego stroked because they were much more willing than I ever was.”

A muscle in his jaw jumped. “Maybe if you’d been a better lay, I wouldn’t have had to look elsewhere.”

Olivia groaned and kicked off her loafers. “God, it’s really never your fault, is it? You always find a way to blame me.” She pulled her hair into a ponytail and sent him a glare.

He glared back at her before disappearing, retreating into her mind and remaining wonderfully quiet. It seemed as though he couldn’t read her thoughts, but Olivia almost wished he could. That way, he would be able to feel just how much she hated him and how much glee she took from destroying whatever legacy he’d left behind.

Olivia collapsed on her bed, wishing she didn’t have to face everyone again so soon. She picked up her favorite book from her bedside table, hoping it would distract her and help her ignore Drew. Unfortunately, she didn’t have to wait long for the others to arrive, and she sat up when she heard their car doors slam.

Olivia set aside Murder on the Orient Express and stood up. She slipped her loafers back on and made her way to the main house, where she knew Riley, Asher, Ella, Noah, and Chris would be waiting for her.

“Olivia,” Riley gasped when she entered the living room and found them all standing around. She ran over and wrapped Olivia in a hug that was uncomfortably tight. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured, repeating the same sentiment that Olivia had heard from everybody else after they’d heard the recording.

Olivia allowed the hug to continue for another second before she pulled away. Ella was there to take Riley’s place, though, and Olivia let herself be hugged again.

“Are you okay?” Ella asked in a whisper.

“I’m fine,” Olivia replied tightly, pulling herself from the arms squeezing her. “I just want to get this over with.”

Ella nodded, her face lined with concern. “It won’t take long,” she assured Olivia.

“I guess you’d all know, seeing as you’ve done this before,” Olivia said, the words intentionally biting.

Ella flinched. “We should have told you.”

If Olivia heard that phrase one more time, she would scream in frustration. “But you didn’t,” she said, letting her accusing gaze fall on everyone in the room.

“It’s my fault,” Riley said, her fingers clutching at the end of her braid again. “I asked them not to say anything until I’d told you.”

“I feel much better now,” Olivia replied dryly. “It’s not like just a few words from any of you could have saved me from having my ex constantly speaking in my head and doing everything he could to get me to kill myself.” She clicked her fingers and sent a scathing look in Riley’s direction. “Oh wait.”

Riley gulped, her eyes wide. “I didn’t realize…”

“That Drew was the one encouraging me every day to end it all?” Olivia finished for her.

Riley nodded. She looked even paler than usual, her fair skin leeched of any color.

“Or that he kept whispering into my mind day after day that the accident was my fault until I started to believe him?” Olivia continued.

“Livvy,” Noah said gently.

“Or that I fell down the stairs at the library because he yelled my name and appeared right behind me when I turned around?” she pressed, her voice getting louder and angrier. “He nearly got his wish then,” she said, her lips twisting into a snarl. “But it’s not like a few words from you could have stopped that from happening, right?”

Riley’s eyes were shining with moisture by then, and two tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

Olivia shook her head. She was so tired of hearing those words. “It’s a little too late for apologies. I just want you to get this piece of shit out of my head.”

She looked over Riley’s shoulder, and her gaze met Chris’s. He looked like he’d just been punched in the stomach. Good, she thought. Their guilt was the only punishment they’d all face for their lies.

Olivia moved her eyes back to Riley. “What do we need to do?”

Her half-sister walked over to the coffee table and unzipped the bag lying on top of it. She started taking out candles. “We need to place these in a circle,” she explained. “I think you’ll have to be inside the circle with me while I read the passage since Drew’s ghost is tethered to you.”

Olivia nodded her understanding. “And you said Brett’s ghost became visible to everyone when you did this for him?”

“Yes,” Ella replied, her arms wrapping around her stomach. “We could all see and hear him.”

“Great,” Olivia muttered, her stomach dropping and her palms growing damp.

“Which is why I’ll be in the circle, too,” Chris said.

Olivia shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”

He took a step toward her, his eyes determined. “Yes, I do.”

“Someone is going to be with you,” Noah said. “It’s either him or me.”

Olivia blew out a long breath. There was no point in arguing. She would feel safer this way, and so would Riley. “Okay.”

She chose not to pick which one of them she wanted with her but was surprised to find herself relieved when Chris stepped into the circle of candles with her after Riley had placed them and Asher had lit them all. Despite everything that had happened between them, Olivia trusted him to protect her from Drew if it came to that.

How heroic, Drew sneered in her head.

Olivia clenched her teeth together, biting back a retort.

“You okay?” Chris asked her in a whisper.

“Fine,” she replied tightly. “Just ready for this to be over.”

He smiled sadly. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

“That’s still not quick enough,” she muttered.

No need to be a bitch, Drew spat. You’re the reason we’re in this mess.

Olivia wanted to argue that this was all on him and Brett, but she stayed quiet, not wanting to speak to him in front of the others.

You killed me and Chris’s brother, Drew continued, his tone biting. But I’m the one who’s being punished.

Olivia’s hands curled into fists.

You can’t do this to me, he yelled, making her flinch.

“Hey.” A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. “Is it Drew?”

Olivia nodded. “He’s not exactly pleased that we’re doing this.”

Chris’s eyes hardened. “He’s lucky we’re not planning worse.”

“Are you ready?” Riley asked after clearing her throat, the piece of paper she needed to read from held in front of her. She was standing across from Olivia and Chris, several feet separating her from them.

Noah had shoved the nesting tables into the corner of the room, along with the rug he’d rolled up. The space he’d made in the middle of the living room was big enough that the circle of candles was about ten feet in diameter. Somehow, it didn’t feel like enough space for when Drew would appear.

“Yep,” Olivia replied to Riley, taking a deep breath in and trying to calm her racing pulse.

She looked at her brother, the ice around her chest thawing when she saw the worry and fear written all over his face. Her gaze moved to Ella next, only to find her wearing a similar expression. They looked terrified for her.

“Okay,” Riley said, pausing before she began reading the Latin passage.

Nothing happened for a good few seconds, and Olivia was starting to wonder if whatever they’d done to get rid of Brett wouldn’t work for Drew. But then the candles were all snuffed out, as though an invisible and silent wind had blown through the room, extinguishing the small flames.

No, Drew screamed, the sound so loud that Olivia winced and lifted her hands to her head. I’m not leaving, he spat.

And then the pain started.

Olivia gasped, her fingers pressing harder into her temples as pressure built in her head. Riley kept speaking, but every word felt like a thin knife stabbing into Olivia’s brain. She bit back a scream, and her knees buckled.

She would have fallen if Chris hadn’t been there to catch her, his hands gentle on her as they held her up, even as another pair of invisible hands dug into her brain.

Olivia lifted her fingers to her face, finding something warm and wet above her lip. She lowered her hand and gulped when she saw a smear of red coating her skin.

“Stop,” Chris shouted, his face swimming in front of her. “Riley, stop!”

Riley’s words cut off, bringing some relief, but Olivia shook her head.

“Keep going,” she demanded through gritted teeth. “I want him gone.”

“It’s hurting you,” Chris argued.

She fisted the front of his shirt and glared. “I want him gone,” she repeated, hating how weak her voice sounded.

A line formed between his eyebrows, but he finally nodded. “Okay.”

Riley started speaking again, and Olivia couldn’t hold back her scream this time.