Thomas Winbury was unraveling.

He hadn't slept in two days, hadn't had a moment of peace in a week, and was pretty sure he was going to develop an eye twitch if things got any worse. But here he was, forced to play the role of a civilized man as he sat at one of Nantucket's most obscenely expensive seafood restaurants with his family.

The restaurant was the kind of place where the wine menu had no prices, the seafood was flown in daily from some remote European fishing village, and no one made a scene—until, of course, Thomas Winbury did.

It started off fine. He ordered his usual—the butter-poached lobster with truffle risotto—and tried very hard to pretend like he wasn't the most talked-about man on the island thanks to Leighton Murray and her army of chaos-loving college girls.

His father, Tag Winbury, was sipping his wine as if he wasn't deeply disappointed in his eldest son's public humiliation. Greer was effortlessly composed, though Thomas could feel the weight of her judgment as she delicately cut into her scallops. Abby, his very pregnant wife, was enjoying her filet mignon like she didn't have a care in the world, which made Thomas feel even worse.

The problem was, Thomas could still hear Leighton's voice in his head.

The megaphone. The public callout. The sheer audacity of her existence.

And now? Now he was spiraling.

Halfway through dinner, Thomas put his fork down, visibly pale, and leaned toward Abby.

"I need you to help me," he muttered, voice strained.

Abby, mid-bite, blinked at him. "Help you how?"

Thomas swallowed, his hands trembling. "I'm—I'm losing it. I don't think I can take this anymore. I'm going to break down in front of my entire family in this ridiculously overpriced restaurant, and I need you to—I don't know—calm me down."

Abby stared at him for a moment.

Then she started laughing.

Not a little chuckle. Not a polite giggle. No—she was full-on laughing, her shoulders shaking, fully entertained by his suffering.

Greer raised an eyebrow. "Abby, dear, is something amusing?"

Abby wiped a tear from her eye. "No—nothing—just—" She turned back to Thomas, grinning. "Sorry, babe, but this is hilarious."

Thomas stared at her, horrified. "You think this is funny?"

Abby nodded, still wheezing. "Oh my god, yes! Look at you! You're—you're falling apart! Over Leighton!"

Thomas dropped his head onto the table with a thud.

Tag sighed. "Thomas, pull yourself together. You're embarrassing us in front of the sommelier."

"I hate my life," Thomas groaned into the tablecloth.

Abby patted his back. "Sweetheart, you did cheat on me at the Sand Dollar Motel. There are consequences."

Greer sipped her wine. "Mmm, yes, consequences."

Thomas squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't want to be alive anymore."

Abby snorted. "Okay, let's not be dramatic."

After dinner, Thomas sulked all the way back to the Winbury estate. The only thing keeping him sane was the knowledge that at least he'd be in the safety of his own home, far away from the hellspawn known as Leighton Murray.

But then—they arrived home.

And standing right at the front door?

Leighton. Murray.

She was casually leaning against the doorframe, scrolling on her phone like she hadn't spent the last week making Thomas's life an actual nightmare.

Thomas saw red.

"You have got to be kidding me," he hissed.

Leighton looked up, smiled, and waved. "Oh, hey, Tommy! Welcome home!"

Thomas whipped around to his family. "SHE'S TRESPASSING. CALL SECURITY. ACTUALLY, CALL THE NATIONAL GUARD."

Greer, instead of reacting like a normal mother who should side with her son, smiled.

"Leighton, darling," she said warmly, stepping forward. "Lovely to see you again."

Thomas's brain short-circuited. "I—what?!"

Leighton shrugged. "Hey, Greer. Thought I'd drop by."

Tag nodded in approval. "Good to see you, Leighton. You're welcome anytime."

Thomas choked on air. "WHAT?!"

Abby smirked. "I love this for us."

Leighton beamed. "Oh my god, thank you. It's really nice to feel appreciated."

Thomas could not believe what was happening. "Are you people INSANE?! SHE RUINED MY LIFE!"

Leighton tilted her head. "Okay, first of all, you ruined your own life. I just helped spread awareness."

Greer nodded. "It is important to spread awareness."

Thomas could have screamed. "MOTHER—"

Greer ignored him. "Leighton, would you like to come inside for a drink?"

Leighton grinned. "I would love a drink."

Thomas turned to Abby. "Are you seeing this?!"

Abby, delighted, smiled. "Oh, I see it. And I am thriving."

Leighton stepped into the house like she owned the place.

Thomas fumed.

His entire family had officially betrayed him.

And Leighton?

Leighton had won.