Chapter 11

The text burned in Lila's hand like a brand as she and Eli walked hand-in-hand through the misty streets of Port Haven. The girl he was sleeping with the week before he disappeared. Your best friend at the time. Jenna. The name echoed in her mind, twisting something deep in her chest.

Eli noticed her sudden silence. "What is it?"

She showed him the screen. His face darkened, jaw clenching. "This is getting ridiculous. Someone's playing games with us."

They went back to her apartment instead of his. The moment the door closed, the tension exploded. Eli pulled her to him roughly, kissing her with a mixture of anger at the world and desperate need for her. Lila responded in kind, shoving his jacket off his shoulders, yanking at his belt.

Clothes hit the floor in a frantic trail to the bedroom. Eli lifted her onto the dresser, spreading her legs wide. He dropped to his knees and ate her out with ferocious intensity—tongue fucking her deep, sucking her clit, fingers pumping hard until she came with a sharp cry, thighs trembling around his head.

He stood, cock hard and leaking, and thrust into her in one brutal stroke. The dresser banged against the wall with every powerful drive of his hips. Lila's nails dug into his shoulders as he fucked her hard and deep.

"Tell me you believe me," he growled, angling to hit that perfect spot inside her. "There was no one else. Especially not Jenna."

"I want to," she gasped, meeting him thrust for thrust. The pleasure was edged with pain, the emotional storm fueling their bodies.

Eli lifted her, carrying her to the bed without pulling out. He laid her down and drove into her missionary style, eyes locked on hers. The rhythm slowed but deepened, becoming punishingly intimate.

"I was a mess the week before I left," he admitted between thrusts. "Fighting with my dad, feeling worthless after what your mom said. I got drunk one night and kissed Jenna. Once. It went no further. I stopped it because even then, it was always you. Only you."

The confession broke something open in Lila. She came hard, clenching around him as tears slipped down her temples. Eli followed with a groan, burying himself deep as he spilled inside her.

They lay connected afterward, foreheads pressed together. "No more secrets," he whispered. "I swear."

The next day, Lila met Jenna for lunch, heart heavy. She showed her the text.

Jenna's face paled, then flushed with guilt. "It was one stupid kiss. We were drunk. He was leaving and hurting. I had a crush on him for years, but he shut it down. Told me his heart was with you. I never told you because I was ashamed and it didn't matter. He left anyway."

The betrayal stung, but the honesty helped. Lila hugged her friend. "I wish you'd told me sooner."

"I know. I'm sorry."

The conversation cleared some air, but the anonymous texter's knowledge of intimate details was unsettling. Someone close was watching them.

That night, Eli came to her apartment with flowers and determination. They cooked dinner together, but the undercurrent of desire never faded. After eating, he backed her against the kitchen counter, dropping to his knees again. He worshipped her with his mouth until she was shaking, then bent her over the counter and took her from behind—slow and deep at first, then harder as she begged.

He reached around to rub her clit, whispering filthy praise. "Such a good girl. Taking my cock so well. Come for me again."

She did, loudly. Eli pulled out at the last second, turned her around, and came across her breasts and stomach, marking her as his.

They showered together afterward, where he took her again—slow, soapy, sensual—lifting her against the tile wall and thrusting up into her until they both shattered.

Clean and spent, they curled up in bed. Eli traced the curve of her hip.

"I talked to my dad today," he said quietly. "He confirmed your mom helped with some bills back then, but I never took money to stay away from you. I left because I believed her—that I had nothing to offer. I was wrong."

Lila snuggled closer. "We're rewriting it now."

But peace was short-lived. In the middle of the night, both their phones buzzed almost simultaneously.

Unknown (to Lila): The texter knows too much because they're close. Ask Eli about the money he still owes Reyes—the part he didn't pay.

Unknown (to Eli): Your girlfriend's mother isn't the only one who paid for your silence. Watch your back.

Lila and Eli stared at their screens in the dark, bodies still intertwined but the trust between them newly fragile.

The puppet master pulling the strings was getting bolder. And the next move might break them for good.