Chapter: Chapter 118EpilogueI woke up to someone banging on my bedroom door. "Lily! Wake up!"I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. The banging continued."Lily!""Sofia, go away."The door opened anyway."It's your birthday!"I felt the mattress dip as she climbed onto my bed, and before I could properly protest, she pulled the blanket away from my face."Happy birthday!"I squinted at her through the morning light. "You're very loud.""And you're eighteen!"I stared at her for a moment before a smile slowly spread across my face.Eighteen. The number felt strange. Not because I suddenly felt different, but because I couldn't believe how quickly the last few months had passed.When I first walked into my new school, I had been convinced my final year would be simple. I wanted good grades, a quiet year, and maybe a few new friends.Instead, I somehow ended up with Lisa, a hockey rivalry I never asked for, a friendship with Jace, a complicated relationship with the most irritating boy I'd ever m
Last Updated: 2026-09-29
Chapter: Chapter 117LilyI didn't know what to say. Because somehow, hearing Kai say those three words felt more important than it should have."Look, I know I was being an asshole..." Kai started raking both hands through his hair, exhaling slowly as though the words were harder to get out than he had expected. He looked away for a moment before meeting my eyes again."I shouldn't have said those things to you outside my house. I was angry, and I took it out on you. You didn't deserve that."I stared at him, barely knowing what to say.He shifted his weight, his usual confidence nowhere to be found. "I've been thinking about it since you left. Then you stopped coming to school, and I didn't even know if you were avoiding me or if something had happened.""I was sick," I reminded him quietly."I know that now." His jaw tightened. "But I didn't know then."He paused, looking at me for a long moment."And I hated not knowing."Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten."I'm sorry, Lily," he
Last Updated: 2026-09-29
Chapter: Chapter 116LilyI had been sick for three days. Not the kind of sickness where I could take some medication, sleep for a few hours, and drag myself to school the next morning. This was the kind that had left me buried beneath my blankets, barely interested in food and too exhausted to do anything except sleep.The flu had hit me harder than I expected.My parents had practically turned me into a prisoner in my own bedroom, refusing to let me step outside even when I insisted I was feeling better. Between my mother checking my temperature every few hours and my father making sure I took every medication on time, there was hardly a moment when I was left alone.By the second day, I was able to sit up long enough to study.That was when I started working on our presentation. The Life and Leadership Skills group had created a classroom group chat, so whenever I was awake, I checked the messages and followed whatever everyone was discussing. I had missed enough already, and with our presentation gett
Last Updated: 2026-09-29
Chapter: Chapter 115KaiTwo days. Lily Valmont had been absent from school for two fucking days.I told myself I didn't care. The first day, I barely noticed it. At least, that was what I told myself when I walked into English and her seat was empty. Maybe she had some family thing going on. Maybe she had simply decided she didn't want to come to school.None of my business. And by the end of the day, I had caught myself looking toward the classroom door more than once, expecting her to walk in late with that irritated expression she always wore whenever she saw me.She didn't. The second day was worse.I showed up to every class. Every fucking class. Even the ones I normally found excuses to skip.I sat through lessons I barely cared about, stared at the board when I should have been thinking about hockey, and found myself glancing toward the door whenever someone walked in.Nothing.And the worst part was that I couldn't even figure out why I kept showing up. Maybe because she had told me to take schoo
Last Updated: 2026-09-29
Chapter: Chapter 114LilyKai's brows drew together. "About what?"I hesitated for a second. "Did you ask her to apologize to me?"For a moment, he simply looked at me. Then he shrugged."When someone is wrong about something, the least they can do to make it right is apologize.""So you actually told her to?""Yes."I wasn't sure why that answer made something warm settle in my chest. Maybe because I hadn't expected it from him.Kai had never exactly been the kind of person I imagined caring about whether someone had wronged me or not. He usually seemed more interested in provoking me than defending me.But he'd actually told Camila to apologize. And for some reason, I liked that."Well..." I smiled slightly. "There's no harm in being good once in a while."He raised an eyebrow. "Once in a while?"I shook my head. "At least now I know you actually have a heart somewhere in there.""Somewhere?""Very deep somewhere."He chuckled. I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder before glancing around the
Last Updated: 2026-09-29
Chapter: Chapter 113LilyMy hand tightened around the strap of my bag as I glanced over at Kai.He was focused on the road, one hand resting casually on the steering wheel while the other rested near the gearshift. His expression was unreadable, but there was something annoyingly relaxed about him.Why had I agreed to get into his car? The library was under construction, so it had been locked when we arrived. We were supposed to have our tutoring session there, but after trying to find another place around school, Kai had suggested we go to his house instead.And somehow, I'd agreed. Which was probably one of the dumbest decisions I'd made since starting at this school.Being alone with Kai in his car suddenly felt different from sitting across from him in the library. Maybe it was because there were no other students around. No one to interrupt whatever conversation we might have.Just me and him. The thought alone made my cheeks warm.I hated it. I shouldn't be feeling this way.Kai was annoying. Arrog
Last Updated: 2026-09-29
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