MasukAriana POVI did not cry when I left. That surprised me. I thought I would break down the moment I stepped out of the café. I thought I would not be able to breathe. I thought I would call him back. But none of that happened. I just walked. One step. Then another. Then another. Until the noise behind me faded. Until the air felt different. Until it was just me.My chest still hurt. But it was quieter now. Like the pain had settled somewhere deep instead of screaming at the surface. "Okay," I whispered, as I stared at the main road. Cars passed. People moved. Life continued. Nothing stopped because my world just shifted. And somehow, that made it easier. Because if the world did not stop…Then I would not either. By evening, I made a decision. I was not staying in my room. I was not hiding. I was not going to sit there and scroll through videos of him and Laura. No. Not tonight. I stood in front of my closet for a long time. Just staring. Then my eyes landed on it. The dress. Black. Si
Nick POVI knew I was in trouble the moment I saw her. Not because she was shouting. Not because she was crying. But because she was calm, too calm. Ariana was not like this. Not with me, not ever. She used to look at me like I mattered. Now...she looked at me like she was already leaving. And that scared me more than anything.I sat across from her. Trying to find the right words. But nothing felt right. Nothing felt enough. "I saw it," she said."I know.""Good."Her tone didn’t change. Didn’t shake. Didn’t break. And somehow, that hurt more. "What do you want me to say?" I asked."The truth."I swallowed. "It’s not what you think."She let out a short laugh. "Then tell me what it is."I opened my mouth. Then closed it. Because how do you explain something like this? How do you explain choosing something that looks right...over something that feels right? "You can’t even say it," she said."Ariana...""Don’t say my name like that."My chest tightened. "Like what?""Like I still belo
Ariana POVI did not sleep. I tried. I closed my eyes. I turned on my side. I turned again. I held my pillow. I even counted numbers like people say helps. Nothing worked. Every time I started to drift, something pulled me back. A thought. A memory. A feeling. Nick’s face.The way he looked at me last night. The way he said nothing when I needed him to speak. By morning, I gave up. I sat up slowly and reached for my phone. My heart was already beating fast, like it knew something before I did. I unlocked the screen. And everything hit me at once. Notifications. Messages. Mentions. My name. His name. Our names. Together. I frowned. "What…?"I opened one. Then another. Then, I saw it. The video. My hand froze. For a second, I didn’t press play. Because something inside me already knew. But I still tapped it. It started. Music. People. Lights. Nick. My breath caught immediately. He looked perfect. Dressed like something out of a dream. Clean. Calm. Controlled. Like nothing messy had ever
Nick POVEverything broke at once. The door slammed open and new men rushed in like they owned the place. They were not calm like the others. They were loud, rough, and ready to fight. You could see it in their faces. You could feel it in the air.This was not a conversation. This was trouble. Big trouble. I sat up straight in the chair, my wrists burning from the rope. My eyes moved fast, taking everything in. The first group of men stepped back slightly. That alone told me everything. They did not expect this. That meant things just got worse. Ariana moved closer to me. I could feel her fear again, strong and real."Nick…" she whispered."I’m here," I said quietly.Even though I didn’t know how long I could keep that promise. One of the new men stepped forward. He was tall, built, and his eyes were cold. He looked around the room slowly, then stopped on me."So this is him," he said.No one answered. The first man spoke after a second. "This doesn’t concern you."The new man laughed
Ariana POVThe door opened. And I stepped inside. For a second, I could not see clearly. The room was dim, and the air felt cold and heavy. But then my eyes adjusted. And I saw him. Nick. Tied to a chair. My heart dropped. "Nick!"I rushed forward without thinking. But before I could reach him, a hand grabbed my arm. Hard. I gasped. "Don’t move," a voice said behind me.My body froze. Slowly, I turned. The same man. The one from before. The one who said I should not come. My chest rose and fell quickly. "Let me go," I said. He did not."You should not be here," he said calmly."I don’t care," I shot back. "Let me go."He studied me for a second. Then released my arm. But he did not move away. I didn’t wait. I rushed to Nick. "Nick…"I dropped to my knees in front of him. My eyes moved over his face quickly. "You’re hurt.""I’m fine," he said immediately.But I could hear it in his voice. He was not fine. I looked at his hands. The rope. Tight. Too tight. My chest tightened. "Who did t
Nick POVMy head was still spinning. The pain had not left. It sat heavy behind my eyes, like something pressing from the inside. Every time I tried to move, the rope around my wrists tightened, cutting into my skin.I forced myself to stay still. Panicking would not help. Thinking would. I looked around slowly. The room was big, cold, empty, with concrete walls, no windows. Just one metal door. Closed. Locked. Of course. I let out a slow breath. "Okay… think."But my thoughts kept going back to one thing. Ariana. The way she looked when they took me. The way her voice broke when she said my name. My jaw tightened. She was not supposed to be part of this. None of this was supposed to touch her. But it already had. And I had a bad feeling it was only going to get worse.The door opened. The sound echoed. Slow and heavy. I looked up. The same man walked in. Calm. Like nothing had changed. Like I was not tied to a chair in a place I did not know. He shut the door behind him and leaned ag
Sofia and I decided to have a sleepover at her house since we haven't had one of those in a while and it was also the only way of getting Nick out of my head. We decided to watch a marathon of sisters because it's the only show we could agree on watching. Sofia popped down next to me on her comf
I was stuffing my books into my backpack when a sudden knock on the door pulled my attention."I'm coming!" I yelled, as I dragged myself to the door, and pulled it open.I blinked, taking aback on seeing Eve, Nick's mom"Ariana," She faked a smile as she eyed me from head to toe, sizing me up. I r
Nick* * * *I loved this part. I loved meeting the fans, loved the selfies and jokes and words of praises. I loved the look in all of their eyes as they looked at me, it told me that I wasn't just a player, I was part of their lives. And I lived for it.The team and I walked into the crowd a
"She's gay." He blurted out.I narrowed my eyes. "Gay?""Yes, she's involved with some girl, okay! We're just pretending to be a thing because her parents doesn't approve her sexual choices, and I need her father's influence in growing my career."I swallowed. "But that only complicates this... wha







