LOGINCHAPTER 70Clara’s POVIt had already been several days since Lin Woo had moved in with me, and I couldn’t deny how comforting it was to have him around. He’d quickly become my center of gravity, the anchor I clung to in the chaos of my life. I still hadn’t told him everything. There were parts of my world he didn’t need to see yet, but I let him in little by little, letting him see glimpses of my struggles while protecting him from the worst of it.Spencer and Esteban were slowly warming up to him, too. Spencer had begun to see Lin Woo as more than just Clara’s new roommate, while Esteban, well, he remained mostly unreadable, but even he seemed to respect him. Maybe even like him. Lin Woo had this effect on people; his kindness made them feel safe, his quiet confidence made them listen.Lin Woo himself was exactly as I remembered him: soft-spoken but sharp, gentle yet quick with a witty remark when he saw something wrong. He had this combination of gentleness and fire that made peop
CHAPTER 69Florida’s POVMy eyes widened the moment Derrick’s hand lifted.For a split second, the world felt like it had stopped moving.My heart slammed painfully against my ribs as instinct took over and my eyes squeezed shut, my body bracing for the impact I was sure was about to come.But the seconds passed.One.Two.Three.Nothing happened.No pain.No sound.No impact.Slowly, hesitantly, I opened my eyes.Derrick was still standing in front of me, but the anger on his face had changed into something else entirely. His eyes were wide now, fixed on his own hand like he couldn’t believe it had been raised in the first place.Like he couldn’t believe what he had almost done.For a moment, neither of us moved.Then his hand dropped back down suddenly with a sharp motion, like he was forcing it away from me.He let out a frustrated grunt under his breath before dragging a hand through his hair.“Don’t push me, Florida,” he said tightly.His voice sounded strained, almost like he wa
CHAPTER 68Florida’s POVDerrick stood in the doorway for a long moment, just looking.His eyes moved slowly across the room, taking in the broken glass glittering across the floor, the shattered vase, the overturned chair, the lamp lying in pieces, and the books scattered everywhere like they had been thrown by a storm. The living room looked like a battlefield, and for a second, he didn’t say anything at all.Then his gaze landed on me.I crossed my arms.“What?” I snapped.For a moment, he didn’t answer. His jaw tightened slightly as he stepped further into the room, carefully avoiding the shards of glass beneath his shoes.“…Florida.”Something about the way he said my name immediately annoyed me.“What?” I repeated, louder this time.His eyes lifted to mine again, darker now.“What the hell happened here?”A sharp laugh escaped me before I could stop it.“Oh, now you’re paying attention.”His expression hardened immediately.“That’s not what I asked.”“Well, maybe that’s the answ
CHAPTER 67Florida's POVBy the time we left the restaurant, something between us had shifted.It wasn’t obvious. Nothing dramatic had happened, no big conversation or confession. But the air between us felt different, heavier somehow, like the tension from earlier hadn’t disappeared; it had just changed shape.By the time we got back to the house, the quiet followed us inside.The door shut behind us with a soft click, and Derrick immediately shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it over the back of a chair like he always did when he walked in.I watched him for a moment.Then I turned toward him with a slow smirk.“Why are you looking at me like that?” Derrick asked, glancing over his shoulder as he loosened his collar.I walked toward him slowly, closing the distance between us before wrapping one arm around the back of his neck, my fingers sliding lightly into his hair.“Nothing,” I said.He raised an eyebrow, studying my face carefully.“Are you drunk?” he asked.I rolled my eyes,
CHAPTER 66Florida’s POVThe restaurant was quiet in that expensive kind of way. Low lights, soft music drifting through the background, waiters moving around like ghosts so they wouldn’t disturb anyone important. The glass walls showed the city glowing outside, cars sliding through the streets below like streams of light.Normally, I loved places like this.Places like this reminded people who they were dealing with.But tonight it was annoying me.Because the man sitting across from me wasn’t even looking at me.Derrick sat there scrolling through his phone, his expression calm and unreadable. One hand lazily rested beside his glass of wine while the other held the phone, his thumb moving slowly up and down the screen like whatever was on that device mattered more than the person sitting right in front of him.I slowly put my fork down on the plate.“Are you done yet?” I asked.He didn’t even look up.“Mhm.”My eye twitched.Mhm?That was it?I leaned back slightly in my chair, cros
CHAPTER 65Spencer’s POVThe city stretched across the windshield as I drove, signs flickering past like blurred streaks of color. The road ahead was mostly empty, just the low hum of the engine and the occasional passing car cutting through the quiet morning.Clara sat beside me.I kept my eyes on the road… mostly.But every few seconds, my gaze drifted back to her.It was almost annoying how distracting she was.She had the window slightly rolled down, the cool air pushing strands of her hair across her face. Her elbow rested on the door while she scrolled through something on her phone, completely unaware of the effect she was having on me.I stole another glance.Her lashes were long, casting faint shadows against her cheeks. The dim glow from the dashboard lights softened her features, making her look… calmer. Softer.For the first time in weeks, she didn’t look like someone constantly waiting for the next disaster to happen.She looked peaceful.And it hit me all over again just







