เข้าสู่ระบบ125THERAPY JAYDENThe hum of the jet engines settles into a deep, vibrating drone as the plane touches down at Logan International Airport. Outside the small oval window, the damp, familiar tarmac of Boston glimmers under the runway lights.Beside me, Aurora is dead to the world. Her head is heavy against my shoulder, a few stray strands of hair soft against my neck, her breathing slow and even. She’s been completely exhausted since we boarded, the tension of the last forty-eight hours finally catching up to her the second we cleared security in Philly.I lean down, brushing my lips softly over her temple, then against her cheek until she stirs."Baby..." I whisper, pressing another light kiss to her lips.Her eyelashes flutter, and she blinks up at me. "Hmm? Jayden? Where... where are we?""We're home, baby," I say softly, offering her a faint smile. "We just landed."She sits up slowly, rubbing her eyes and looking around the cabin as the rest of the passengers start unbuckling th
124SEPERATINGJAYDEN"She wants to be near Bryce," Aurora points out. "And his family has the resources to stand up to Arthur locally. You brought her to safety today, Jayden. You got her out of that house. That was the hard part. Now you have to be smart."I turn back toward the living room. Celina is watching me, her hands folded over her bump."Jay," Celina says. "I don't want you ruining your life for me. You worked so hard to get into school, to build a life away from him with Aurora. If you get arrested because of me, Arthur wins. He gets to destroy both of us.""I'm not letting him win," I say, stepping back toward her."Then let me stay with Bryce's family," she says. "It's local. It's safe. Jules can't claim you took me across state lines if I voluntarily walk into the home of my baby's father. I'll fight him in family court here."I stand there for a long moment, weighing everything. The urge to smash something, to go back to the estate and finish what I started, burns hot
123BRYCE'S PLANJAYDENI lean my head down, resting my forehead against Aurora’s. The warmth of her breath against my chin grounds me."I'm going to get us out of here," I say, sliding my phone out of my pocket. "We need to get back to Northford. Away from this city, away from him."I pull up the airline app and start tapping the screen, searching for three afternoon seats out of PHL. My thumb hovers over the confirmation screen for a non-stop flight leaving in four hours.Across the room, Celina sets down a forkful of scrambled eggs, watching me. "Jay... what are you doing?""Booking our tickets," I say, not looking up. "You're coming with us. We’ll get you set up in Boston, find a good OB-GYN up there, and figure out the rest.""Jayden, wait," Celina says, her voice rising slightly. "I can't just leave Philly."I stop. "Why not? You need to be somewhere safe, away from Arthur.""I am safe right now," she replies, setting her plate on the coffee table. "And my entire support system
122CELINAJAYDEN"I've been in that bed for six hours staring at the ceiling, Jay," she says, stepping fully into the living area. She's wearing a pair of oversized grey sweatpants from my duffel bag and a long-sleeve tee, her hand resting over the swell of her stomach. "My brain won't shut off.""Are you feeling okay?" Aurora asks immediately, stepping away from the bar and walking over to her. "No cramping? No pain?""I'm okay," Celina sighs, walking toward the large velvet sofa in the center of the room and letting herself sink into the cushions with a heavy exhale. "The baby's kicking like crazy, but I think it's just reacting to the fact that I haven't fed it real food since yesterday afternoon.""I'll order room service right now," I say, reaching for the suite's landline on the side table. "What do you want? Pancakes? Eggs? Toast?""Fruit, maybe. And oatmeal," Celina says softly. She leans her head back against the sofa cushion, staring up at the high ceiling. "And... I don't
121TALKJAYDENI stare down at her shaking knees, her small hands pressed over her wet face, and the last piece of my heart snaps clean in half.The sound of her sobbing is deafening in the tiny, steam-filled bathroom. It’s louder than the shower, louder than the rain hitting the glass outside, louder than the blood pounding in my ears."Okay," I say, backing away on my knees until my spine hits the opposite wall. My hands are up, palms out, showing her I’m not coming closer. "Okay, baby. Okay. I’m going. I’m leaving."I scramble to my feet, my wet pants heavy against my legs. I take one last look at her... naked, shivering, curled against the porcelain tub like she’s trying to disappear into the tile... and I force myself to step back out into the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind me until it clicks.I walk over to the edge of the bed and collapse onto the mattress, burying my face in my hands. The scent of pepper bisque, cheap sweat, and gun oil clings to me. I pull off my torn
120I AM NOT HIM JAYDENThe engine of the sedan is screaming, but it’s nothing compared to the noise inside my head.Rain streaks across the glass of the sedan, blurring the city lights into smears of red and white. My hands are still shaking. The adrenaline hasn't left my bloodstream... it's curdling there, turning into something thick, toxic, and heavy. I can still feel the weight of that heavy crystal decanter. I can still feel the recoil of the steel butt of the gun impacting my father’s jaw.I almost killed him. I was a fraction of a second away from putting a bullet through Arthur Vale’s forehead and watching his brains splatter across his precious marble floors."Drive faster," I growl at the driver, my knuckles white where I’m gripping the edge of the dashboard."S...sir...," the driver stammers, eyeing me like I’m a live bomb. "I’m doing sixty-five...""I said faster."In the backseat, the silence is suffocating. Celina is breathing in shuddering, wet hiccups, holding her st
003HEARTBREAK HIGHJAYDENI hate days like this, man. Days where I attend all classes, show up to the gym for practice, pushing my body to its limits, and all I want to do is crash when I'm in my room, sinking into the mattress and disappear for a few hours. But then something morbid comes up and
002RULESAURORA "You're the figure skater."I stare at him. Then I narrow my eyes. "You say that like that's a bad thing.""Oh, it is," he says dryly. "When she's apparently going to be staying in my room."Excuse me? I fold my arms across my chest. "Your room?" He legs out a humorless laugh bef
001ROOMIE AURORA Her side of the room is a hot mess. My roommate I mean..Clothes are hanging halfway out of drawers and the bed looks like somebody wrestled a bear on it and lost.I stand frozen in the doorway of Dorm C, Room 214, one hand gripping the handle of my suitcase while the other clu
005DATING 101AURORAI stare at my phone after the call ends, my reflection blurry through the tears still clinging to my lashes.Typical.Even from miles away, my mother still somehow manages to comfort me and bully me at the same time.A watery laugh escapes me before I wipe at my face again. Go







