That night, she stared at her phone for hours, drafting and deleting a dozen different texts to Lexi.
I have to tell you something.
Please don’t hate me.
It wasn’t planned. I didn’t mean to fall for him.
But in the end, she didn’t send any of them.
She just put the phone down, curled into a ball, and cried herself to sleep.
Meanwhile, Mark was planning something reckless.
Something that would either fix everything... or blow it all to hell.
He called Julian.
The conversation was short and tense.
But when he hung up, Mark smiled grimly.
It was time for a new strategy.
If Rachel couldn’t tell Lexi the truth... maybe he could create a situation where the truth came out naturally.
Where feelings were laid bare.
Where no one could hide anymore.
Even if it meant risking everything
