INICIAR SESIÓNJoey's POVI froze.For a second, I forgot how to breathe.Gabriel. He was here.My heart nearly burst. Relief crashed over me, and my eyes went wet.I didn't know how he'd found me. I didn't care. He was here, and that alone loosened a knot I hadn't even realized had tangled so tight.I looked at his face, trying to understand what he was thinking. I couldn't. His expression was hard and unreadable, his jaw locked so tight I could see the muscle working beneath his skin."Gabriel," Roland said.I swallowed. My fingers, still frozen on the second button of my dress, trembled uselessly against the fabric.Gabriel didn't answer him right away. His eyes swept the room instead, moving from Roland to me, then to the phone in Devin's hand, the recording light still blinking, still watching, still capturing every second of my humiliation for someone else's amusement.Gabriel crossed the room and took the phone from Devin's hand."Hey!""Sit down."His voice came out cold, so cold I barely re
Joey's POVI lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, stomach twisting into a knot that had nothing to do with hunger and everything to do with exhaustion.Between classes and everything else piling up, my whole body felt like it belonged to someone else, and a headache was building steadily behind my eyes.I didn't think I could make it to the club tonight. I reached for my phone on the nightstand and dialed Juan before I could talk myself out of it. He answered on the second ring."What?" he picked up, no greeting at all."I'm not feeling well. I don't think I can come in tonight."Silence stretched on his end long enough that I almost thought the call had dropped."Does this have anything to do with your schedule lately?" he said finally.I frowned, confused. "What do you mean?""Don't play stupid with me, Joey." His voice had gone flat, cold in a way that made my skin prickle. "I know you've been running around campus with one of my VIP clients."My stomach dropped. "What?""Roland G
Gabriel's POVThe room went silent the moment the door opened.For one second, I couldn't move. I just stood there and stared.Roland sat on the edge of the bed, his shirt half-open, laughing at something one of his friends had said.Joey sat beside him. She was stiff.Her hands were shaking as they moved over the buttons of her dress. Her fingers looked like they weren't even hers, as if she was somewhere far away from her own body.Then I saw the phone. One of Roland's friends stood near the window, holding it up. The flash recording light was blinking.My blood ran cold."Gabriel," Roland said.The surprise on his face lasted only a second before a small smile appeared."Buddy. This isn't what it looks like.""Stop." My voice came out cold. Even I barely recognized it.Joey's head snapped toward me. For half a second, relief flashed across her face. Then she looked at Roland, and the relief disappeared."Gabriel," she whispered."Get out." I looked at her. "Now."But she didn't mo
Gabriel's POVShirley's words hit me harder than I expected."Wha—" I started but couldn't finish. I wanted to deny it. I wanted to laugh and tell her she was wrong. But one look at her face told me it was pointless.She knew.She laughed, then went on. "But I don't even understand; she isn't the prettiest girl on campus, plus, she keeps dressing like she's desperate to be with someone who has lots of money--""Hey." I closed the gap between us immediately and grabbed her hand. "Listen carefully. No one is allowed to say anything like that about Joey. Not even you, Shirley. Understood?"She looked shocked.Without saying more, I let go of her hand and walked in.The noise hit me immediately as I stepped through the door. Music blasted through the house. People were packed in every room, shouting over one another, laughing, drinking, and dancing."Hey, Gabriel!" Someone called my name from the kitchen.Another person shouted from the stairs.I nodded slightly and then ignored everyon
Gabriel's POVI got to the gym earlier than usual, half hoping Roland would show up for our usual Tuesday session and half trying to convince myself I didn't care if he did.I needed to ask him something, though. I needed to know if Joey was okay.She still hadn't answered any of the messages I'd sent since that night on the street.But Roland never showed.I called him twice between sets. Both times, the phone rang until it stopped. There was no answer or message.I stared at the screen longer than I meant to, frustration tightening in my chest. My thumb moved toward Joey's name in my contacts, but I stopped myself.What was I even going to say? I put the phone down.However, I wanted to see her. I wanted to see her so badly. I wanted to apologize properly this time. Not the weak apology I'd started before she walked away. I wanted to tell her the truth.That I was sorry.I'd said those things because I was angry. Because I was hurt. But she hadn't deserved any of it.I had taken fo
Roland's POVClyde opened his mouth, but I spoke."I'm fine.""I did try to warn you," he replied quietly."I know." I kept walking. "You always do.""Are you alright?" He asked, concern lacing his words.I didn't answer. Not yet.I walked all the way back to the foyer before I trusted myself to speak."I'll definitely be fine."He nodded and said nothing more. Neither did I.I had loved Serena. God, I had loved her.More than I ever imagined.Then, right after high school, she broke up with me over the phoneSome weak excuse about needing space before college. That was it. Two years together ended in less than a minute.I didn't know the truth until years later. A drunk cousin told me at a wedding, thinking I already knew.My father had paid Serena to leave me.There had been a price at the end of our relationship. A number my father had agreed to behind my back.I had never even been part of the conversation.My hands curled into fists.For years, I'd blamed myself.Serena liked guy







