Before I could even react, he shoved me. I stumbled backward hard; my back smacked into the hallway wall with a loud thud. Pain exploded through my shoulder. As I lost my balance, I felt the floor disappear from under my feet. And I tumbled halfway down before a pair of arms caught me. Strong, steady. Finn. He'd come through the front door just in time to see me fall. He grabbed me before I hit the last step, pulling me into his chest. I was shaking, not from the fall, but from the heat of everything. But before I could say a word, Finn's face twisted into anger, not at Henry. At me. He snapped. "What were you thinking, Jillian?" "You nearly scared Henry to death!" Henry came running down the steps behind us. Crocodile tears already in place. "Dad, she was being crazy! She ruined my shirt on purpose, Madeline gave me that. And then she screamed at me and ran down the stairs! I tried to stop her!" I turned to Finn, my voice trembling but cold. "He pushed me." Finn didn't even flinch. "You must've said something to provoke him." I laughed, dry and broken. "Of course. Because it's always my fault, isn't it?" I smiled through the tears that wouldn't stop falling. My voice was soft. "You know what? I'm done." I paused, breathing shakily. "You three want to be a happy little family? Go ahead. I won't stand in your way anymore." I pulled away from his arms and stepped back, putting distance between us. Finn frowned, taking a step forward, but I kept going. "I'm just the outsider, right? Always have been. So I'll make it easier for everyone. I'll move out. I'm leaving." His eyes widened. "You what?" "You heard me." My voice didn't rise; it just trembled. "I give up. I surrender. I'm out of this… whatever this is. I won't come back. Ever. Is that what you wanted?" Finn let out a careless laugh, like he didn't believe a word I said. "Come on," he said, "Don't be ridiculous. Anyone on the street could tell you that Jillian, the mafia boss's wife, is hopelessly in love with me. You've heard of a princess leaving her prince in a fairy tale? No? Exactly." "I'm not your princess, Finn." My voice broke a little, but I held his gaze. "And you'll get to see with your own eyes, just how far I can walk away from you." Then I turned and left. For a second, Finn didn't move. His fists clenched, as if trying to hold on to something already slipping through his fingers.