Snow’s Point of View:

“I need glasses,” I mumbled as I walked past my dad and brothers, my head low and my feet dragging.

I didn’t stop to look at them. I didn’t want to talk to them, not right now. The frustration bubbling in my chest wasn’t something I could easily put into words.

Where had they been?

They were supposed to have my back, weren’t they? But when I needed someone the most, it wasn’t them who showed up. It was Kingston. And that fact alone twisted something deep inside me.

“Snow,” my dad called from the living room, his voice firm but cautious.

I ignored him, my hand gripping the railing as I made my way up the stairs.

“Snow, wait,” Dimitrios said, his voice closer now. He’d followed me into the hallway, his footsteps echoing behind me. “What’s going on? Why are you upset?”

I turned to face him, my vision blurring slightly as I tried to focus on his expression. “Why am I upset?” I repeated, my voice sharper than I intended. “Maybe because I passed out in front of Kingston Grey and had to be taken to the hospital by him, and none of you were here to help me?”

Dimitrios flinched at my words, his brows furrowing. “We didn’t know—”

“Exactly!” I cut him off. “You didn’t know because you weren’t here. Where were you, Dimitrios? Where was Dad? Zino? Karsten? Anyone?”

He opened his mouth to respond but hesitated, guilt flashing across his face.

“That’s what I thought,” I said quietly, my voice trembling. “If Kingston hadn’t been here...”

I trailed off, shaking my head. The thought of what could’ve happened made my stomach twist.

Dimitrios took a step closer, his voice softer now. “Snow, we didn’t mean to leave you alone. Something came up—”

I held up a hand, cutting him off again. “I don’t want to hear excuses. I just... I need space.”

Before he could say anything else, I turned and walked into my room, closing the door behind me.

The silence inside was comforting, but it didn’t do much to ease the ache in my chest. I sat on the edge of my bed, my head in my hands, trying to make sense of everything.

I’d always thought of my family as this impenetrable force, a safety net that would always catch me. But today had shattered that illusion.

And Kingston...

I sighed, leaning back against the headboard. His face flashed in my mind—those piercing blue eyes, the way his voice softened when he called me “princess.” He shouldn’t have been the one to save me. He shouldn’t have been the one to care.

But he had.

And I didn’t know what to do with that.