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d a   c a p o

[Lat.] : (D.C.) From the beginning.

I WAS STILL thinking about my sixteenth birthday on my twentieth. The latter somehow seemed like a far less extravagant affair compared to the first.

I ran through the day's events in my head – money from Dad, bath salts from my best friend Millie, a set of headphones from my other friend Castor, free red-velvet cupcakes drizzled in chocolate from Dink at the local confectionary and a couple of birthday wishes from the neighbours.

That seemed to cover it. I knew I should've been a little disappointed when I compared the past to the present, but I wasn't. My sixteenth birthday seemed incredibly childlike now, like I was a teenage girl grasping for any remnants of her childhood.

Thankfully, I had grown up. One couldn't play out a fairytale for so long. It was time to wake up and smell the roses.

My lips quirked up in a wry smile at how apt that saying was. I was definitely smelling the roses now, especially since I was wheeling a cart-full of roses to put into storage.

Dad was still tending to the last of his customers out front, so I took it upon myself to unload the remaining batch of pots onto the shelves. I arranged the roses by colour – yellows, reds, pinks, dark pinks, whites and so forth – swatting away a stray bee when it buzzed a little too close for my liking.

It didn't take long, or maybe it was the pressing sense of time I felt since Parker was due in less than an hour. When I was done, I ripped off my dirtied gloves and tossed them into the nearby bin. Dad was still handling the cash register when I sauntered up to him.

"You should start getting ready," he said to me, before nodding in thanks to the customer he was currently serving, "or you'll be late."

I grinned and leaned over the counter, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "I'll be back late and Parker will probably bring me home. Don't wait up."

"Enjoy yourself!" he called after me, and I waved a quick goodbye before heading home.

It took me another ten minutes to shower and scrape the grime out of my fingernails; and another five to brush the tangles out of my hair and do a quick blow-dry. I had just finished my make-up when the familiar knock on the door announced Parker's arrival, followed by the incessant pressing of the doorbell, as if zombies were chasing after him and he needed refuge immediately.

I understood that, as a law student, Parker was all about efficiency and punctuality. But there was a thin line between demanding efficiency and being downright impatient.

Shaking my head, I tied the ends of my bathrobe firmly around my waist and took my own sweet time heading to the front door. When I opened the door, Parker still had a finger pressed against the doorbell and he rung it one more time before smirking.

"Took you long enough."

"A simple hello would suffice," I told him, before pushing the door further open to let him in. Looking at him brought back a wave of nostalgia that I desperately quenched down. "I've missed you," I blurted and smiled.

The expression on his face softened and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around me. He smelled of expensive cologne and mint. I drew my arms around him and hugged him tightly, shutting my eyes tightly when he murmured, "I've missed you too. Happy birthday, Isla."

He smiled as he pulled back, but there was something different about him. He seemed troubled and tired. I held up a hand. "Give me ten minutes," I told him and disappeared to my room to change.

In the four yearsthat had passed, I'd become a lot more decisive, especially when it came toclothes. Instead of patterns and bright colours, I now chose a strapless blackdress for festive occasions and black heeled boots. The boots were a littlefrayed and ratty, but it was closing in to night. No one would notice.

It wasn't long before I decided that I was ready and good to go. I kept my hair down, picked up my purse and stepped out of the room, only to find Parker on the phone. His spoke in hushed tones, but there was an urgency to his voice that made me realise it wasn't the usual business phone calls he got. He was pacing the room, running his fingers through his hair with what seemed like pent-up frustration.

When he saw me, he ended the call and shot me a bright smile. "Bring the giant teddy bear," he teased. "He'd be good security and I wouldn't have to worry myself protecting you from all thoseblokes at the pub."

Parker was definitely back to his usual self now and I laughed in relief. I seldom saw him that upset – the last time had been back when he and Rosemary had to leave. The thought of that brought a lump to my throat. It was a horrid period for all of us, but most of all for Dad, I supposed. At least Parker never stopped coming back. He returned bearing gifts – which I knew were his way of apologising for what Rosemary had done – and helped me with my homework whenever I called. And, as busy as he was, he never failed to bring me out on special occasions like these.

Parker and I headed to a restaurant near the beach cove, which was a good distance away from home. We sat at a round table that had been specially reserved under his name. It was during dinner when he gave me my presents – a new charm to add to my collection I had on the bracelet he'd given me when I was sixteen, as well as a new tablet (which I really didn't need but he insisted I have).

Then we got down to the usual chatter we'd been so comfortable with. I told him about the newest thesis I was working on for school, which he seemed to approve of. He told me about his most recent breakup with a girl called Sirene. He only realised that she dated him for his money after she demanded nothing but the best on all the dates they went on, and wouldn't settle for anything less.

"Really? Sirene?" I echoed, trying to keep the smile off my face. "You didn't see that one coming?"

"I would've done a background check on her," he muttered crossly, stabbing viciously at the brownie we were splitting for desert, "but you told me that was rude and inappropriate."

"And I stand firm on that. I was actually referring to the negative connotations of her name." He looked rather confused and I hastened to explain myself. "Just listen and humour me for awhile. In Greek mythology, Sirens are often beautiful but dangerous creatures. They're femme fatales with enchanting voices who often lure sailors to their death. Only one escaped, and that was Odysseus, from Homer's epic. He plugged beeswax into his sailors' ears, tied himself up and ordered them to continuing rowing, no matter what the Sirens said to him and no matter how much he begged to be let out. And now you're the second survivor – although you must've died a dozen little deaths when you were dating Sirene, if you know what I mean," I added, laughing when Parker narrowed his eyes at me.

"Very funny."

"Oh, but it is," I quipped, satisfied when he finally cracked a smile.

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Buthis good mood didn't last. As the evening wore on and he received more texts,he began to look more tired than ever. I didn't want to pry, but I knew that Ieventually had to, if only so I could put a smile back on his face.

We were at D.C., a famous, high-end pub several streets past the restaurant we had dined at. We sat somewhere near the private rooms, where the music was softer and we could converse without having to shout at each other. Parker had ordered himself a rum and coke while I'd gotten a margarita despite much protests on his part, because he constantly felt the need to act all big-brotherly when it came to me and alcohol.

When our drinks arrived, he didn't waste much time downing his cup. He started to order another one and I decided to put an end to it. "If you've got a problem at hand, I'm all ears."

He shook his head."It's not a big deal."

Which, in short, meant the exact opposite. I'd spent years living with Parker to figure that out. "I highly doubt it's a relationship problem that would've gotten you so worked up," I began thoughtfully, "the only time it remotely had anything to do with a relationship was back when you were dating Eloise. And you were, what? Seventeen?"

He cracked a wry smile. "More or less."

"Wow." I blew out a breath through my teeth and leaned back. "Has it been that many years? It honestly seems like a lifetime ago."

"Sure does."

An uncomfortablesilence settled between us and I knew that he was once again beating himself upabout that breakup. I shouldn't have brought it up. Even after this time, he'dnever quite gotten over it.

Just thinking about it made an irrational ball of anger well up in me on his behalf. If I ever met Eloise McAllister, I knew without a doubt that I would've grabbed her by the shoulders to shake some sense into her thick head. And if I ever met Declan Harte – well, I honestly didn't like to think about what I would've done.

I shook all negative thoughts out of my mind and focused on the present instead. It was my birthday and I was supposed to be happy. Besides, Parker was troubled and I needed to figure out what was bothering him. So when the next round of drinks came, I snatched his cup away and pulled it out of his reach. "What's really the problem?"

After a prolonged silence, he sighed and relented. The look on his face was so grave that I knew he was going to tell me something terribly important. I just hoped it wasn't bad news, but judging by his sombre mood, it probably was.

"Remember Kade?"

"Yes," my voice was surprisingly neutral and I mentally congratulated myself for it, "Kaden Bretton, right? He and Nolan Mortez are your closest friends."

His eyes widened. "I'm surprised you remember."

"Please. You're always going 'Nolan and I did this' or 'Kaden and I did that' or 'did I tell you about the time the three of us...' Of course I'd remember."

He returned a laugh before sobering up. "Yes, well," he paused thoughtfully, as though he intended to pick his next words very carefully before speaking again. "The thing is – Kade's in a bit of a fix at the moment."

"What kind of a fix?"

"Word on the news is that he's taken a little time away from the company for a vacation. That was the official statement his company released. The truth is," Parker lowered his voice, "he's been in a terrible car accident."

You could tell me of a million and one ways to react to Parker's statement, and I wished I had a better one – something that ran along the lines of displaying outward concern and worry for Kaden Bretton; or demanding to know how he was.

But I didn't do any of that. Instead, I just blanked. My mind was completely devoid of any coherent form of thought and all I could register was my heart beating wildly and my lungs slowly draining themselves of any oxygen. I couldn't say a word, I couldn't move. I couldn't even breathe.

"He's alive," Parker hastily reassured me, when he noticed the look of complete horror on my face.

Andall of a sudden, with just those two words, the air rushed back in and I couldbreathe again. It was the kind of relief you felt when you knew that the worldwas once again tilted right on its axis, once again spinning at its regularvelocity.

"He was sent to the hospital in good time and the doctors did the best they could. But the impact of the crash caused him to have some form of brain injury," Parker explained and sighed heavily. "He's currently suffering from a temporary loss of sight."

Twofull seconds ticked by as his words slowly registered in my head. And when theydid, I felt a newfound wave of horror surge through me. "What?" Myvoice was loud and almost shrill, causing a few people to cast curious glancesour way. Thankfully, the dim lights were sufficient to hide my red cheeks andthey soon looked away. I turned back to Parker, making sure to speak in a lowerregister this time. "He's blind?"

"The doctors say that it's a result of a blood-clot in his head. Once it clears, he'll be back in one piece. It'll take approximately two months; maybe more, maybe less. Till then – " he trailed off, letting out a troubled sigh that made my heart ache for him.

"It's a waiting game?"

"Pretty much."

Silence descended upon us once again. All I could picture, at that moment, was Kaden's face. I could remember how he looked like perfectly and it seemed like just yesterday when I had danced with him on my sixteenth birthday. Under the dim lights in the middle of the ballroom, his eyes glittered shades of green, soft and warm and everything lovely in between.

I couldn't even begin to imagine how Kaden would feel, when he opened those green eyes of his and saw nothing but the depths of darkness that stretched for miles on end.

Itook a deep, shuddering breath and forced myself to think about Parker instead.This was probably tearing him apart too, albeit in a different way altogether."Kaden will be fine," I murmured, but my words seemed designed toassure myself just as much as my brother. "He's strong and he can getthrough this."

"That's where you're wrong. The temporary blindness is manageable. The problem is his girlfriend."

"He's got a girlfriend?"

Even as the words came out of my mouth, I was aware of how ridiculous that sounded. Of course he had a girlfriend. He was Kaden Bretton, owner of one of the largest companies in the country. Thanks to his parents, he became a billionaire when he took over the company at twenty-one. Now he was twenty-four and, paired with his good looks and elegant charms, he was practically a god who walked among mere mortals. Which girl wouldn't want him?

Parker shrugged at my question. "Apparently so. Evangeline White – formerly an aspiring model, currently lying in her coffin."

I blinked. "What?"

"She was in the car-crash with Kade. I would've been far more sympathetic, except I didn't know her at all. I hadn't even heard of her until she was pronounced dead in the hospital." Parker spoke with the arid detachment akin to his usual professional self, as if he were discussing new company policies or the latest court case. It seemed a little unfeeling, I supposed, but I couldn't bring myself to feel anything other than sympathy for Evangeline either. Not when she was a complete stranger.

It took awhile for the implications of Parker's statement to sink in and when it did, I let out a shuddering breath.

"Kaden doesn't know she's dead."

"It's going to tear him apart when he finds out," Parker sighed. "The guilt will eat him alive and inside out."

"Break it to him slowly. It might be difficult but he will learn to accept it in the end," I added and pushed the drink back to Parker since I'd found out all that I wanted to know.

He sipped his drink in a slow sort of resignation, like he had come to terms with the problem and was just trying to find a way through the aftermath. But the aftermath was tumultuous and the future for Kaden seemed bleak.

After a prolongedsilence, Parker cleared his throat and set his drink down. "There wasactually a plan, to be honest," he began carefully. "A couple of daysago, Kade's mother asked to meet me and Nolan. They proposed something a little– unorthodox...but it's worth a shot."

I was intrigued. "Let's hear it."

"They wanted to find a girl who could pose as Evangeline and pretend to be Kaden's girlfriend for at least a month – "

"That's bloody ridiculous."

" – before properly breaking up with him. Let him down as slowly and gently as possible with the excuse that the Whites wouldn't allow them to be together. She will completely disappear off the grid after that, so Kade will think she's properly left to avoid him. But he will never find out that Evangeline's really dead."

There was a monumental pause after that. The plan seemed incredibly daunting, almost bordering on ludicrous. But desperate times called for desperate measures and, obviously, Kaden's parents were desperate at a time like this.

"I honestly don't know what to say," I admitted, when Parker continued to stare at me, as if gauging for my response. "On the one hand, this will save Kaden a world of pain. I see where his parents are coming from, I suppose. But on the other hand, it's all a little heartless, don't you think?"

"What I think doesn't matter. The Brettons are set on going ahead with this."

"But what about Evangeline? This plan completely downplays her death. Is no one going to mourn for her? And will Kaden never go to her funeral?"

"Isla," Parker said gently, "Evangeline's already buried. She never had a funeral. The Whites were devastated when it happened and they kept her death well out of the press. I don't know the nitty-gritties of it, but apparently they were on board with the Brettons regarding this matter."

"I still think they're completely bonkers."

"So do I, but if it means saving Kaden from heartbreak and a lifetime of guilt, I'm all for it," Parker drummed his fingers against the table in an off-beat fashion before letting out a tight smile. "The only problem now is finding the right girl. She could be a brilliant actress for all we know and play the part perfectly, but how do we know if we can trust her?" He shook his head, "that's the bit that we're all stuck at."

I'd seen Parker in a lot of phases before. Lost, bitter, scared, angry. But this was new. He was stuck on a problem that demanded immediate solution and all I could think about was how I needed to help him. He'd come through for me so many times before. Couldn't I just help him this one time?

Cracking a wry smile, I nudged him gently. "You could always pick me."