Mag-log inTara’s POV
Jake rushes to the bathroom after trying to fit his mask properly, and that makes me feel ten times worse than I already did. I sit on the edge of the bed with my hands covering my face, wishing that I had never given in to my curiosity about what he looks like under that mask.
I can hear the sound of running water from the bathroom, and I imagine he’s probably splashing cold water on his face or trying to calm himself down. The silence in the room feels heavy and uncomfortable, and I keep replaying what just happened over and over in my mind.
Why did I do that? Why couldn’t I just respect his boundaries and wait for him to reveal his face when he was ready? I feel like such a terrible person right now. Jake has been nothing but sweet and caring to m
Tara’s POVJake was still trying to explain why he was wearing the mask, his words coming out in a rush like he was afraid I’d walk away before he finished. But I couldn’t focus on what he was saying. My mind was too full of everything that had happened today: Sarah in the hospital, Tony’s kiss, the guilt sitting heavy in my chest.“Jake,” I said, reaching out and gently tapping his arm to stop him mid-sentence. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain right now.”He looked surprised, his eyes visible through the mask showing confusion. “Are you sure? I thought you’d want to know why I….”“I’m sure,” I interrupted softly. “Can we just… have dinner? I’ve had a really long day and I just want to be with you. We can talk about the mask later.”Jake studied my face for a moment, and I could tell he was trying to figure out if I was really okay or just pretending. Finally, he nodded. “Okay. Let’s get dinner then.”We made our way to the hotel restaurant, and Jake had apparently already made a
Tara’s POVI sat in the back of the cab, my mind spinning in circles as I stared out the window without really seeing anything. My fingers kept touching my lips, still feeling the ghost of Tony’s kiss there.What had I just done? Why had I kissed him back?The guilt crashed over me in waves, mixing with confusion and shame. I was on my way to meet Jake, Jake, and now I’d just kissed someone else hours before our meeting.I should have insisted that Jasper come with me to Tony’s place. If Jasper had been there, none of this would have happened. Tony wouldn’t have kissed me, and I wouldn’t have this awful guilt sitting heavy in my chest.But I’d respected Jasper’s boundaries when he said he didn’t want to come. I’d gone alone. And now everything was a mess.I was so lost in my spiraling thoughts that I didn’t even realize we were pulling up to my house until the driver’s voice snapped me out of it.“Miss? We’re here,” he said, glancing at me in the rearview mirror with concern. “Are you
Tara’s POVI walked out of the hospital with Jasper beside me, my legs feeling shaky and my emotions completely raw. Everything that had just happened with Sarah and her mother had left me feeling drained and overwhelmed.“That was intense,” I said quietly as we stepped out into the late afternoon sunlight.“You did a good job in there,” Jasper said, his voice warm with approval. “Standing up to Sarah’s mother like that. Not many people would have had the courage to do what you did.”“I just couldn’t watch her treat Sarah that way,” I said, my voice still thick with emotion. “She needed someone to tell her the truth.”“And you did,” Jasper confirmed. “I think your words really got through to her. Did you see how guilty she looked?”“I hope so,” I said. “Sarah deserves better.”We walked in silence for a moment before I glanced at my phone and realized how much time had passed. It was already early evening.“Oh no,” I said, stopping in my tracks. “I completely lost track of time. I sti
Jasper’s POV“Help!” Tara screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking with panic. “Somebody help us! Please!”Maria came running out of the house first, her face going pale when she saw Sarah collapsed on the ground. Within seconds, she was on her phone calling for an ambulance while other staff members rushed out to see what was happening.“She just fainted,” I explained quickly, keeping my hand on Sarah’s wrist to feel for a pulse. “We were about to go for a walk and she just collapsed.”“The ambulance is on its way,” Maria said, kneeling down beside Sarah and gently touching her forehead. “Mija, can you hear me?”Sarah didn’t respond. Her face was so pale it was almost gray, and her breathing was shallow.The ambulance arrived within minutes, the paramedics taking over and carefully loading Sarah onto a stretcher. Tara and I climbed into the back of the ambulance with her, both of us refusing to leave her side. Maria said she would contact Sarah’s parents immediately and m
Jasper’s POVAs Sarah was about to lead us up the stairs, I caught the gesture the head maid had made, that subtle shake of her head that seemed to carry a warning or concern. Something about it made me uncomfortable.“Sarah,” I said, stopping at the base of the stairs. “Are you sure we need to go to your room? We can talk just fine in the sitting room. It’s comfortable there.”Sarah turned to look at me, and I could see the surprise in her expression. “It’s okay, Jasper. Really. She’s just looking out for me, that’s all.”“Looking out for you, how?” I pressed gently.Sarah glanced back at the maid, who had returned to her dusting but was clearly still paying attention to us. “Can we just go upstairs? I’ll explain everything once we’re in my room.”“Okay,” I agreed, though I still felt uneasy about the whole situation.We followed Sarah up the grand staircase and down a long hallway lined with expensive-looking paintings and sculptures. Finally, she stopped at a door near the end of t
Tara’s POVI knew Sarah came from money. She always dressed well, carried nice things, and had that polished look that came from having resources. But standing in front of her house now, seeing the actual scale of her family’s wealth, I realized I had severely underestimated just how rich her family was.The security guard at the gate checked our names against a list before opening the massive iron gates and gesturing for us to walk up the long driveway. Jasper and I exchanged wide-eyed glances as we approached the front door.“This is insane,” Jasper whispered. “This place is like a mansion from a movie.”“I know,” I whispered back, feeling suddenly very underdressed and out of place.We rang the doorbell, and within seconds, the door was opened by an actual butler. He was dressed in a formal suit and looked like he’d stepped out of a period drama.“Miss Tara and Mr. Jasper, I presume?” he said with a slight bow. “Miss Sarah is expecting you. Please, come in.”We stepped inside and b







